New Life
by TwinSanity
Summary: Ch10: Bakura's onimous words haunt Yugi well into the next day. While the palace tries to recover from the thief's visit, tempers flare and words are misunderstood, confusing poor Yugi and causing him to believe he's no longer wanted.
1. The Survivors

**Summary: **A raiders' caravan is burned down, and only two survivors are found. One, a fiery, hot-tempered woman that puts up a good fight. The other, an innocent, withdrawn boy that resembles the Pharaoh to a frightening extent. What do these two have to dowith a plot to overthrow the Pharaoh?

**Rated for Violence, Language, Death, Blood, Graphic descriptions, you know, the usual.**

**NFM--Note From Mena**

**NFT--Note From Toli**

Mena: Why do we do this?

Toli: (shrugs and chugs coffee) I don't know!

Jesselda: -.-; She's on a coffee buzz again.

Mena: Yep, she's a coffeeholic. Like me and sugar! (pops sugar cube)

Jesselda: Let's just get on to the story before my sanity becomes farther out of my grasp.

Toli: Okey doke, then disclaim away!

Jesselda: My hyper hikari and her highly-caffinated twin sister don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. And since neither of them have a major in Studying Ancient Egypt For Making Good Stories, there will be a lot of made up names and things. But don't worry; things won't get _too_ weird. At least in the story.

Mena: (hugs Jesselda) You're so silly, Jezzy!

* * *

**ONE: The Sole Survivors**

The thick black smoke rose into the sky, partially blocking out the moonlight. Rising along with the smoke were little orange sparks that soon faded away. Below all the smoke was the fire responsible, quickly consuming several carriages that were part of a small caravan. The animals that had been pulling the carriages had escaped and were running wild all over the scene.

Coming towards that caravan were several men on horseback. The clothes they wore, as well as the weapons they carried, signified that they all served in the Pharaoh's army. They had been on their way tointercept the caravan anyway, but it had gone up in flames before they made it.

One of said men, a young, rather impressionable guy we'll refer to as Jou, found himself assigned to look for survivors. His friend and trainer, an older, and harsher guy we'll call Hiroto, was with him.

"Here's the deal," Hiroto was saying to Jou as they dismounted their horses and started towards the part of the line of flames that looked the least dangerous. "When you're looking for survivors from a wreck like this, it's important that you be firm. Merciless. Like me."

Jou rolled his eyes. "What's your point again?" he asked.

"Don't take that tone with me," Hiroto sniffed. "I'm your superior." Ignoring a snort from Jou, he went on. "Well, let's think about it. We get orders to go take down a band of raiders coming our way to attack the Pharaoh's caravan,but before we make it, their caravan is set on fire. If there's anybody still alive here, they're obviously a raider."

"So that means we kill 'em on the spot?" Jou questioned.

"No, we drag 'em in for interrogation," Hiroto corrected. "If any band of raiders is crazy enough to come take on the carriage containing Pharaoh himself--coming back from a trip which will likely put him in an even worse mood, if that's possible--they must have been specifically after something important, or else they wanted to assassinate the Pharaoh. Do you get it yet?"

Jou rubbed his chin. "Yeah, I think so," he said, resting his elbow on the handle of his sword. He glanced over at a half-burned carriage that was on its side and did a double take. "Hey, did you see that?"

"See what?" Hiroto frowned. "I saw nothing. Come on, we got a job to do and can't go chasing after imaginary--hey!" He went after Jou, who was running towards the carriage, both drawing their swords on instinct when they saw movement coming from somewhere inside.

Jou stopped in front of the pile of black wood and peered at it suspiciously. Hiroto stopped behind him and watched as he got down on his knees to peek into what used to be the door, now half-buried in sand. "Hey, I think there's something alive in here! I can hear coughing." Before Hiroto could instruct Jou on what to do next, the younger boy had already gotten down lower and crawled partway in. The whole top half of his body was inside the carriage.

Hiroto bent down a little to better scold. "Jou!" he exclaimed. "Get out of there! That's dangerous, you know!"

Jou didn't respond at first. Then he said, "I found 'em! There's somebody in here! Help me get 'em out!"

Hiroto sighed and dropped to his knees. Jou was already pulling himself out of the door, and he was covered with black soot. He had what looked like a little bundle in his arms, also covered in soot. He dragged it out and dropped it on the sand.

"Um, what is that?" Hiroto demanded, leaning over the bundle.

"Hmm, I'd say a survivor," Jou said before his attention was diverted back to the door.

Hiroto looked over the bundle as Jou went back to the carriage. Considering it was hard enough to see at night, and the fact that the still-rising smoke was hindering the light more, and the bundle was covered in black soot, all made it hard to figure out what it really was. Taking a closer look, Hiroto realized is was, indeed, a human; a very slender, little human. It didn't _look_ like it was alive, but Hiroto figured it might be.

The sudden sound of coughing made Hiroto look up, to discover that Jou was pulling someone _else_ from the carriage. Whoever this was, they were definitely alive, for they were coughing, and though they were also covered in soot, Hiroto thought he could see something light peeking out from underneath the blackness. Hiroto stood up with his sword drawn, ready to bravely attack should the figure which had been inhaling smoke for the past ten minutes decide to attack.

When the figure was pulled clear from the door, it fell to its hands and knees in exhaustion and crawled over to the unmoving bundle near Hiroto's feet. The new figure was slender as well, but obviously taller than the first one. There was silence as Jou and Hiroto watched the second figure lean over the first.

"Oh no," the second figure breathed. Both boys were surprised to hear the voice of a female.

Jou stood up, trying to brush some of the soot out of his face and hair. "What do we do?" he asked Hiroto.

"What else? We take her--them--into custody like planned," Hiroto said. He approached the girl. "You and your accomplice are to be taken in for questioning, and you had better cooperate, or you'll wish you had."

The female looked up at them. "I don't care what happens to me, but you have to help him!" she said, looking back down at the figure she was leaning over. "He'll die soon if somebody doesn't do something for him."

Hiroto and Jou glanced at each other.

* * *

"My Pharaoh, the raiders' caravan was stopped, but not as we expected." 

"What, did they all have a sudden conscience and kill each other?"

Seto's eyes narrowed at he sarcastic remark. The guard being addressed, Hiroto, didn't look up as he continued to kneel. "No, Your Highness. Their caravan was being consumed by a fire by the time we made it there."

"Really?" For a moment the Pharaoh looked interested; but then, he rested his head back on his palm and sighed. "And then what?"

"We searched for survivors to interrogate, as planned. Only two were found alive. A boy and a woman; the boy was unconscious and the woman was barely conscious when we brought them back. Both are being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. The boy has yet to regain consciousness."

"So I hear. When the boy wakes up have him questioned; in the meantime you can interrogate the woman, can't you? So stop kneeling around and get to it."

Hiroto stood up and bowed. "Yes, Your Highness." He left the Pharaoh's quarters.

Seto turned to the Pharaoh. "What is it with you and this fetish with sarcasm?" he asked. "I haven't seen you take anyone besides myself, Ishizu, and Ryou seriously since you were a kid."

The Pharaoh glanced at the door before letting himself fall back on his bed. "I feel it's the best way to handle those beneath my rank and status, don't you?" he said, examining one of his hands.

Seto opened his mouth to retort but didn't. He found that it was easy to handle Atemu himself with sarcasm. The two, High Priest Seto and Pharaoh Atemu, were cousins, and had grown up together, and loved each other like family does, but often they got on each other's nerves. They argued a lot, but it was only because they cared, or at least they were supposed to.

The door to the Pharaoh's quarters opened, and in walked Ishizu, one of Atemu's most trusted advisors and his personal physician. She looked particularly pleased to see the Pharaoh. "Atemu, I am glad I found you. I discovered something that I thought you should like to know." She always called them "Atemu" and "Seto" unless she was angry with them, and they let her.

"Really?" Atemu said, sitting up again.

"Yes. I took it upon myself to examine the two survivors of the raider's caravan." Before Atemu could ask why in the world she had decided that was a good idea, she continued. "The younger survivor--the boy--even though he is unconscious, his health is stable and he should recover. I thought you would like to see him for yourself. He is quite...interesting, shall we say."

Atemu raised an eyebrow. "And just what does that mean?" he asked.

"Come and see, if you will," Ishizu insisted. "It seems you aren't doing anything of utmost importance at present." She turned and exited, expecting him to follow. He did, of course, with Seto on his heels. The two of them had lost the last parent/authority figure they had several years ago, and sometimes Isis took on the role of surrogate mother.

Both Atemu and Seto were surprised when Ishizu led them to one of her private rehabilitation rooms. That was usually only reserved for the high-ranking officials when they were feeling ill. Isis opened the door and instructed them both to be silent. She then led them in.

There were two beds with their heads against the wall opposite the door. Both beds were occupied. Ishizu led Atemu between the two beds and pointed down. "This is the woman. She's really more of a young woman." The young woman in the bed had very long blond hair, and her eyes were closed in current rest. "And this," Isis said, pointing down again, "is the boy."

Atemu looked down and almost felt his heart skip a beat. At the foot of the bed, Seto gave a low whistle. "Well, damn me to the Shadow Realm. He looks like you!"

"I noticed," Atemu snapped back. He glanced back down at the boy. It was true; the boy looked like a younger version of him. The same hair color and style, similar features; they probably had the same eye color as well. "I wonder why?" he found himself saying as Ishizu shooed them out so she could tend to her patients. "Could it simply be coincidence?"

"I doubt it," Seto said. "Maybe that band of raiders was planning to kill you off and put him in your place for some plot to take over your throne."

"Now, I doubt _that_," Atemu said, "but I'm sure we'll get the answers we need from the interrogation." He and Seto went back to the Pharaoh's private chambers.

* * *

Atemu looked up as someone knocked on his door about an hour after seeing the survivors. "Enter," he commanded. 

The door opened, and Hiroto, the same guard as last time, came back in. He bowed. "My Pharaoh," he said, "I apologize for interrupting, but I was sent to give you a report of the interrogation."

Atemu raised an eyebrow. "A report?" he repeated. That wasn't good.

The guard nodded. "We questioned the woman as planned about the intentions of the group of raiders, but she insisted she did not know, despite our persuasions to tell us the truth. Officer Marik said we should send her to you for official questioning."

Atemu rolled his eyes. For once, Seto did also. Marik was the second-in-command, next to his older brother Malik--who was currently away--and he always wanted to make the Pharaoh handle everything. "Is she standing right outside?" he asked.

"Yes, with a few guards. She is rather formidable, and had to be restrained," the guard said.

"Fine. Return her to the interrogation room, and I'll be there shortly," Atemu said.

The guard bowed again. "Yes, Your Highness." He exited the room.

"I wonder why she's bothering to try and hide anything," Seto said. "All her companions are dead."

Atemu was deep in thought. "Except for that boy," he said. "Perhaps she knows something that she knows would get him killed if I knew, and she wants to protect him. Or maybe it's another reason entirely."

"Do you think she might not really know anything?" Seto asked as they left Atemu's room and started for the interrogation chamber.

Atemu snorted. "I doubt that," he said. "She was living with them; she had to know something. There's no way she could not. She had better not try to lie to me, though. I have ways of making people talk."

* * *

Ishizu had her back turned to the bed, so she didn't see the boy's eyes opening. She only heard him whimper and turned, startled. 

The boy was now hiding underneath the covers. He was trembling visibly. Ishizu knelt down beside the bed. "Come now, it is all right," she said in a quiet voice so as not to scare him further. "No one wants to hurt you. It is safe to come out."

Very slowly, the boy's head peeked out from underneath the covers. He watched her in obvious fear and caution with large amethyst-colored eyes.

_It is as I suspected, _Ishizu thought as she looked him over. _He **has **been harmed. I must examine him further to understand to what extent, though. _"Do not be afraid of me," she said to him in the same quiet voice.

The boy's eyes left her face and darted all around the room. "W-W-Where's Mia?" he whispered fearfully.

"She's gone now," Ishizu told him. "But she'll be back in a little while." She desperately hoped that they didn't beat her up for information. She had a feeling it would completely petrify this boy if he saw her with injuries.

The boy's head was suddenly back under the covers. "I w-want Mia," he whispered.

"Don't worry, she will be back soon," Ishizu assured him. "Would you like to eat something?"

It was a while before he answered. "N-No," he whispered. "I wanna...see M-Mia."

Ishizu watched him with compassion.

* * *

The moment Atemu and Seto entered the interrogation chamber, they could hear the interrogatee yelling. "I already told you everything I know! I don't have any more information for you!" She sounded angry and frustrated. 

"Be silent!" Marik's voice rose. He also sounded angry and frustrated. "You have no right to talk to a superior officer like that."

"I think I'm beginning to see why they needed to call you in," Seto said as they rounded the corner. "Or should I say, hear." He smirked.

Marik turned when they made it to the main room. "My Pharaoh," he said, bowing. The two guards in the room bowed also. "I'm glad you're here. Perhaps now we can obtain some truth from this _lying individual_."

Atemu glanced at the young woman chained to the wall. Her long blond hair was hanging messily over her shoulders, and she had a bloody nose, a bruise forming over her left eye, and several bleeding lash marks on both arms, evidence of the "persuasion" used on her to make her talk. Despite all of her injuries, she still managed to throw an impressive glare at Marik, and even at Atemu and Seto when she saw them. Her violet-colored eyes were flashing with anger.

"Hm," was all Atemu replied with. He walked over to stand in front of the woman, far away enough that he wasn't within spitting distance. "All right then. We are going to start at the beginning. You are going to answer any and every question he or I ask you, and you will answer truthfully or suffer consequences worse than what you've obviously already experienced. Understood?"

"I already told your lackey everything I know," the young woman snarled. "I can't tell you any more than that."

Atemu's eyes narrowed in an expression that would intimidate the clothes off a normal person; besides a flash of fear in her eyes, it didn't seem to affect the young woman at all. "We'll see," he said. He stepped back, and Marik and the guard holding the whip stepped forward. "Ask her your questions again."

"What were you doing with the band of raiders?" Marik demanded.

"Like I said before, I was a slave to the leader," the young woman growled.

"What kind of slave?" Seto interrupted, making everyone look at him.

"What do you mean 'what kind of slave'?" the young woman demanded. "The kind that gets beaten on a regular basis!"

"You know exactly what I mean," Seto answered, without raising is voice a notch.

The young woman sighed and let her head hang, her long hair falling in her face. "I was a damn pleasure slave, all right?" she answered angrily.

The others turned back to her. "When did the leader of the group decide to travel in this direction?" Marik went on.

The girl shrugged, a movement that was hard to do with so little slack in her chains. "I don't know. About a week and a half ago, after the night it rained."

That had been eleven days ago, Atemu recollected. Little plants were still popping up in odd places, only to die in a few hours.

"Why did they decide to travel here?" Marik asked.

The young woman's head snapped up. "Like I told you before, _I don't know_!" she yelled. "They didn't let slaves get that information so we wouldn't try to escape and tell someone. Any meetings about intended raids or anything of any importance, like even where we were, were off limits to the slaves."

"And you never even attempted to find anything out?" Marik demanded incredulously.

"No!" the young woman answered, her voice rising again. "Any slave caught were they didn't belong got twice the regular punishment for wrongdoing. We tried to keep our noses clean so we could have the strength to move around."

"You're lying," Marik said. "You have to know something. You must have overheard something at some time."

"Is the boy that was found with you a slave as well?" Atemu found himself asking.

The young woman's head snapped towards him. Her eyes looked purely distressed at the mention of the boy. "Yes, he is," she said. Her voice had surprisingly died.

"Does _he_ know anything?" Marik asked.

The girl's angry violet fire returned, and she whirled towards him with such force that she almost snatched her chains off the walls. "No he does _not_!" she screamed. "You leave him alone! He knows _nothing_, you hear? _NOTHING_!!"

Atemu was surprised at her sudden outburst. "I take it you care for him, then," he said, resisting the urge to blink in surprise when her heated gaze swung back to him. "You would, perhaps, be willing to answer questions more truthfully if his well-being was at risk, would you not?"

The young woman gasped. Horror flashed in her eyes, followed by fear, and then heated infuriation. She lunged at the Pharaoh, the small slack in her chains the only thing keeping her from leaping on him and tearing his throat out. "_You had BETTER not hurt him_!" she screamed, rattling her chains. "Leave him out of this! Your problem is with _ME_!"

"Then tell me the truth or I'll let you watch him die," Atemu told her. Seto blinked in surprise as he watched the skirmish.

"I _TOLD _you the truth!" the young woman growled. "I DON'T KNOW--" She suddenly stopped talking and slumped down, her hair falling in her face again. She was silent.

After a moment, Atemu turned on his heel. "I'll give you a while to think about it," he said. "And if you don't tell me the truth when I come back, you can forget about somehow shielding your little charge from me." He left, Seto following. Marik sent the guards out and was about to follow when he stopped and glanced back at the young girl. Her head was down, and he thought he saw a tear drop off her face and onto the floor. He shuddered involuntarily and left the room.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

Atemu/Yami  
Hiroto/Honda/Tristan Taylor  
Jou/Jounouchi/Joey Wheeler  
Mia/Mai Valentine  
Marik/the hikari  
Malik/the yami  
Ryou/Bakura/the hikari

Toli: Not bad, eh?

Mena: Sis, why do you like making Yami so villainous?

Toli: (shrugs) I don't know.

Jesselda: I've been wondering that myself, you know. I think you have a problem. (glances around at empty mugs) besides coffee addiction.

Toli: Anyway, tell us if this story should hang around or not! Thanks a bunches!


	2. Merciless

Jesselda: Wow. Someone actually liked this story?

Mena: Yeah!

Toli: Isn't it great?

Jesselda: O.-; I don't know if I'd go THAT far. It was just Masami and Damion the Mena-worshipper... (notices empty mugs and boxes labeled "Sugar Cubes") Oh great.

(Mena and Toli hug each other and spin around, suffering from SugarHighitis and CoffeeHighosis)

Jesselda: I know what I wish _I _could get high on. Sanity. And thanks to Masami and Damion for being nice enough toreview the new story. The twins are too sugar/coffee high to respond properly. Anyway, the twins don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and neither do I. Heck, they don't own much of anything anymore, after selling most of their stuff for money to buy sugar cubes and coffee...ugh...

* * *

**TWO: Merciless**

"You honestly think she's lying?" Seto asked as he walked beside Atemu.

"Honestly?" Atemu repeated. "I don't know. I think she is hiding something, but I think it might not be what we think it is. For all we know, _she_ was the leader of the band of raiders and is trying to save herself now. I can't be sure of anything. All I know is, she obviously cares about my little look-alike, if you noticed."

"I did notice," Seto said. "And what? You're going to suck answers for her by threatening to execute that boy?"

Atemu smiled. "Exactly. It seems like it might actually work."

Just then, they both heard the crash of people hitting the floor. "Oh no," Seto groaned as they walked a little faster and turned a corner to see what had happened.

It was just as they expected. Tea, one of the clumsiest servants in Egypt, had run into a guard and knocked them both down. She had been carrying two bottles of medicine, which were now rolling along the floor.

"Oh! Oh! I'm so s-sorry!" Tea apologized quickly as she grabbed at the bottles and stood up, rubbing her elbow. "I didn't see you."

"That's okay," Jou replied, rubbing his own chin. "I was kinda lookin' at the floor anyway." He went on his way. Tea kept going and nearly ran into Atemu. Her eyes widened when she saw who had almost been her latest victim and she dropped to her knees. "My Pharaoh," she said, staring at the most fascinating section of floor she had ever seen, "I'm sorry you had to witness that. I was in a hurry, and I didn't see--"

"Why were you in such a hurry?" Atemu demanded.

Tea glanced back up. "Miss Ishizu wanted--these delivered to her right away," she explained, holding out the bottles as proof. "She needs them for a patient who's just woken up and needs immediate attention."

Atemu's eyes widened. "The boy? He's awake?" he said. When Tea nodded, he added, "You'll take us there."

Tea scrambled to her feet and bowed. "Yes sir," she said obediently, and she started off. Atemu and Seto followed her back to the recovery room.

* * *

Ishizu met them at the door. "Ah, the medicine I sent for. Thank you Tea," she said to the fidgety servant girl, taking the bottles. "You may be excused." Tea bowed out quickly as Ishizu's gaze turned to the Pharaoh and the High Priest. "I see you came to see the boy," she said as if she'd read their minds. "Come in, Atemu. Seto, I will have to ask you to stay out here for the time being." She didn't say why; she just said _stay out _and that was that. Seto obediently stayed out (**NFM: **See the mother quality?) as Ishizu let Atemu inside and closed the door behind him.

"Now," Ishizu said, turning to face Atemu and effectively blocking his view of the bed, "I will have to ask you to do a few things. I want you to speak quietly and softly around him and make no sudden movements; he scares easily and I don't want to cause any more damage. He doesn't want anyone touching him or coming near him, so keep your distance. Do you understand?"

"Sure, whatever," Atemu said, not really caring. The boy was just a slave; he didn't need any special treatment. Ishizu gave Atemu a warning look, and then led him to the bed.

The boy was definitely awake and a pity-invoking figure in even the stoniest of hearts. He had sat up and pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. His face was currently buried in his arms. He was shaking.

"He's upset because the young woman isn't here," Ishizu whispered to Atemu. "He wants to see her again." She approached the bed slowly. "I've returned," she said in a quiet, soft voice. "How do you feel?"

It took a moment before the boy would lift up his face to look at her. Atemu watched him curiously, standing a little ways away from the bed. He had large, amethyst eyes that were filled with fear and apprehension, and he was still trembling. Atemu was surprised to feel a pang of guilt. _What's wrong with me? I don't feel guilt._

"I w-wanna see Mia," the boy said so quietly that Atemu barely heard him.

"She'll be back," Ishizu assured him gently.

"I doubt the two of you will ever see each other again," Atemu found himself stating.

Ishizu turned suddenly to look at him. The boy's eyes flashed with terror and he peered carefully around Ishizu at Atemu. "W-Why n-not?" the boy asked in a voice that became shakier by the minute.

"She's being interrogated as to the intentions of your band of raiders and unless she gives me answers, you're both going to suffer," Atemu explained with a sneer.

The boy started to tremble uncontrollably. His arms tightened around his knees.

"Atemu!" Ishizu exclaimed. "Why must you--"

"Ishizu, wait outside," Yami commanded. Ishizu glared at him, and he added. "That's an order." She reluctantly left with another glare. Like it or not, she had to obey.

Atemu stepped closer to the bed. "So, boy, is Mia your woman friend's name?" he asked.

"Y-Yes s-sir," the boy whispered.

"I see. And what's yours?"

Tears had pooled in his eyes. "Y-Y-Yugi."

"Hm. Well, Yugi, would you like to know how you can save Mia from being punished again?"

The tears had broken and were sliding down Yugi's cheeks. "Y-Yes s-sir."

"Don't call me sir," Atemu snapped suddenly. "I'm the Pharaoh. You will address me as 'My Pharaoh' or 'Your Highness' from now on, understood?"

More tears were on the way. "Y-Yes, Y-Your High--ness."

Atemu nodded. It would have to do for now. "Good then, come with me." In a moment he had grabbed Yugi by the wrist and half-dragged him off the bed. Yugi stumbled and fell to his knees, but quickly got up and came after Atemu. He was still crying silently, but he followed Atemu without noise.

Atemu threw open the door and started down the hall, carting Yugi along. "Seto, let's go," he said, and Seto soon fell into step beside him. Atemu could feel Ishizu's angry gaze burning a hole in his cape, but he ignored her as he dragged Yugi back to the interrogation chamber.

Marik and two guards were already outside the door. The guard that hadn't had the whip had been replaced with Jou. One look from Atemu was enough for them to go back in. Jou stopped to hold the door open for the Pharaoh, the High Priest, and the little slave following them, and came in after them.

Atemu found Mia right where he had left her. She had lifted her head and was staring at a lit torch attached to the wall when the little party came in. Atemu walked over to face her from a few feet away and shoved Yugi towards her. He stumbled and fell at her feet. Her gaze flew down to him, and concern and fear and anger and a little relief all flashed in her eyes and on her face. "Yugi! Are you okay?"

"Shut up," Atemu ordered. He let Yugi, who had gotten to his knees, wrap his arms around Mia's legs and watched her. Mia wanted to hug Yugi so badly, but her arms were still restrained. "All right, _Mia_," Atemu went on when he had her attention, "you can see that Little Yugi is currently all right. Well, he isn't going to stay that way if you don't start telling me the truth, and now."

Mia glared at Atemu so hard that it was a surprise he didn't burst into flames where he stood. Yugi was still shaking uncontrollably, and his tears were falling on Mia's legs. "I told you, I don't know anything besides what I've already told you," she said in a surprisingly calm voice. She was probably trying to control her voice's volume now that Yugi was there.

"I see," Atemu said. He turned to Jou. "Take off her shackles," he ordered.

"Oh--yes, My Pharaoh," Jou answered, fumbling for the correct key on the loop he held. He approached Mia and unlocked the chains holding her to the wall. She immediately collapsed to her knees, and after taking a second to rub her wrists, threw her arms around Yugi. He wrapped his arms around her neck and cried into her shirt.

"It's okay, Yugi, I'm here," Mia whispered to him, rubbing his back soothingly.

Atemu felt a pang of guilt at what he was about to do, but ignored it. He watched Mia and Yugi for a few seconds and then snapped his fingers at Jou, who had been watching the scene with an expression of sympathy. "Separate them," he ordered. He glared when Jou hesitated. "Do it!"

"Yes, My Pharaoh," Jou said reluctantly. Wishing he had been someplace else, he reached down and grabbed Yugi's arm to try and tug him away from Mia. Yugi tightened his grip, and Jou, feeling like a total jerk, had to snatch him away.

Yugi burst into sobs the moment he felt Mia's arms leave their position around him. He stretched out his hands towards her, and she did the same. Jou had to swallow hard as he dragged Yugi farther away.

"Leave him alone!" Mia yelled, jumping to her feet. She lunged at Jou, intending to seriously injure him. The other guard lashed out with the whip and caught her across the back. It slowed her down very much but still didn't stop her completely. She managed to reach Jou and actually punched him the face, knocking him off balance, before dropping to her knees from the pain of the whip. The guard with the whip, who had lost his heart years ago, enclosed Yugi's arm in his huge hand and pulled him away from Mia's reach.

"_Nooo_!" Yugi cried out, trying to reach Mia.

As if it were some Pass The Yugi game, Atemu snatched Yugi's arm from the guard. "Silence!" he yelled at Yugi. Yugi sank to his knees and covered his face with his free hand, tears flowing freely. Mia was struggling back to her feet, fully intending to deck the Pharaoh like she had Jou, when Atemu raised his free hand and both Seto and Marik stepped back out of habit.

A dark light flashed at Atemu's fingers as he sent a wave of magic in Mia's direction. It penetrated her skin and injected itself into her mind. The room echoed with Mia's scream before she collapsed to the floor, her body currently shut down. Unfortunately for some(**NFT: **But not for us), the guard with the whip had been standing too close, and he got a little dose of magic which sent him into the wall.

Atemu's hand lowered, and he turned to the only guard that was currently conscious: Jou, who had gotten back to his feet with a hand over his eye. "Chain her back up," he ordered. He looked down and saw Yugi crying at his feet. Once again he felt a pang of guilt but completely ignored it. Not bothering to order Yugi to get up, he simply picked Yugi up around the waist and carried him out of the room like a sack of flour. Seto and Marik silently followed as Jou approached Mia to chain her back to the wall.

* * *

When Ishizu discovered what had happened in the interrogation chamber, she was furious. She snatched Yugi from Atemu quite angrily and stalked into the recovery room, slamming the door in his face. Atemu just looked at the door inches from his nose and decided not to punish her for her sudden lack of manners.

Ishizu carried Yugi back to the bed and laid him on it. He immediately turned away from her and buried his face in his hands, curling up into a little crying ball. Ishizu felt so sorry for him. _How could Atemu be so cruel? _she thought as she watched the boy's trembling form. _Normally he isn't very nice, but this goes beyond "not nice". Why would he do this? What can his motive be? _When she had first seen the boy, her strangely accurate intuition had felt that he might be just what was needed to soften Atemu's heart, but apparently she was wrong.

How would she administer the medicine now? she suddenly thought. He probably didn't want a soul within a mile radius of him by now. Ishizu had a feeling (**NFT: **and all those feelings were often quite accurate) that the boy was on the verge of a complete emotional shutdown. She desperately wanted to help him, and was determined to do _some_thing.

She just didn't know what she could do.

* * *

Tea was carrying a candle down the hall that night, headed for the female servants' quarters to turn in, when she nearly bumped into Jou again. She stopped just in time. "Oh, excuse me Jou," she said. Then she did a double take at seeing his face. "What _happened_ to you?"

Jou smiled grimly at Tea's mentioning the bruise under his left eye. "The lady we were interrogating let me have it," he said.

"I thought people being interrogated were usually restrained?" Tea recalled.

Jou's grim smile was gone. "They are," he said. He then proceeded to tell Tea of the Pharaoh's commands, Mia's desperate fight to retrieve Yugi, the eventual use of magic to knock her out, and his having to chain Mia's unconscious body back to the wall. "I feel like a total ass for pullin' those two apart," Jou admitted. "In fact, I almost didn't do it. But you gotta obey the Pharaoh, we all know that."

Tea nodded sadly. "Yes, we do. I caught a glimpse of that kid when Ishizu called me to go get the medicine, and he looked so little and so scared. I wonder what kind of master he used to have."

"No doubt one like ours," Jou snarled. "But if someone hears me sayin' that, it'll turn into treason." He smiled grimly again, but it barely lasted a second. "Anyway, I'm headed for the sack. G'night, Tea."

"Night," Tea echoed as she turned to watch him walk unhappily down the hall. After a moment, she turned and continued on her way.

* * *

"Honestly, Atemu, did you have to do all that?" Seto asked as he and his cousin headed down the hall to their rooms after a particularly boring council meeting. "I mean, it was coldhearted even for you to let them hug and then tear them away from each other."

"I had planned on it being an incentive for that deceptive woman to tell us the truth. I had hoped getting to touch her little partner would help steer her in the right direction, but apparently I was wrong."

"Did you ever stop to consider that maybe she's telling the truth and really _doesn't _know anything?"

Atemu snorted. "There's some kind of secret there; I can feel it. If she won't talk, then maybe Little Yugi will. I plan to interrogate him tomorrow morning."

Seto stopped, and there was actually a look of slight astonishment on his face. "Don't tell me you're going to chain _him_ to a wall?"

"No, I won't do that," Atemu said, "but if neither of them wants to tell me anything, I'll simply search their minds before I execute them both."

"You're truly heartless, Atemu, " Seto said.

Atemu smirked. "Why, thank you."

* * *

Ishizu stood in the doorway, arms crossed, the toughest barricade you ever saw. "I refuse to let you in," she said calmly to Atemu the next morning.

"You can't refuse anything to me," Atemu shot back. "Now let me through."

"No." Ishizu's voice was sharp. "He's resting."

"He can stop resting. Ishizu, you have been here a long time and I have never had to enforce anything concerning you. Don't make me start today." As if to prove his point, Atemu raised up one hand, prepared to knock her out like he had Mia the other day.

Ishizu's eyes narrowed, but she reluctantly stepped out of the doorway. "You are making one of the gravest mistakes you have ever made, my Pharaoh," she said in a warning tone. "If you make him shut down, you will sorely regret it, I warn you."

"I know what I'm doing," Atemu snapped.

Ishizu shook her head sadly. "No," she said. "You do not."

Atemu went into the room and slammed the door behind him. He had never been so angry at Ishizu. How dare she tell him he didn't know what he was doing? Of _course_ he did. He was the Pharaoh, dammit! It was his _job_ to know! He didn't even notice Ishizu open the door and come in, closing the door behind herself and standing quietly but angrily in the corner. She was determined to stop the interrogation if things got out of hand, no matter what.

(**NFT: **P.O.V. switch)

The slamming door had made the little figure underneath the blanket start. Yugi immediately began to tremble uncontrollably when he heard the familiar footsteps coming towards him. He was scared enough for anybody except Mia to be near him, but especially the Pharaoh. He had hurt Mia and yelled at him. Yugi hadn't really trusted anyone here anyway. Especially him and the guard who had taken him away from Mia and the guard that had hit Mia with the whip and the guy who had been yelling at Mia and the guy with the cold blue eyes who had never really said anything. Even Miss Ishizu, who he had began to feel less uncomfortable around, still wasn't to be trusted. He had learned to stop trusting people a long time ago.

_"Trust is what breaks you."_

He didn't remember who had said that, but he always remembered their voice every once in a while. It used to be he had always wanted to trust people. He had liked having friends. But he had been with his old master for so long, that wanting friends and trusting people became desires of the past. He couldn't afford friends or trust. Everyone he had been around for he past several years had done nothing but hurt or ignore him. Even Mia, the only person he ever truly felt safe around, was a liability. What if she decided she didn't like him anymore? She always assured him she would never leave him of her own decision, but Yugi had stopped being able to take people at their word a long time ago.

"Get up," the Pharaoh ordered. Yugi had a feeling this would not end well. If he didn't obey, the Pharaoh would hurt him like he had hurt Mia. He pushed the covers back and slowly sat up. He looked down at his lap instead of looking at the Pharaoh. He didn't really realize how badly he was trembling; he did it so often that he was used to it. It was simply a reflex to anyone besides Mia talking to him.

"Since your precious Mia didn't want to tell me anything," the Pharaoh said, and Yugi could feel tears as he wondered if she was okay now, "then I'll get my answers from you. Do you understand me?"

Yugi had to force himself to speak. "Y-Yes, Y-Your Highness," he said in a very quiet voice.

"Why were you with the band of raiders?"

Yugi placed a finger under his eye to wipe away a tear that was threatening to break. "I...I was a-a slave th-there," he answered.

"When did they start traveling again?"

"I...don't kn-know really. M-Maybe...a week ago. I'm n-not sure. I was n-not awake for-for a little while."

There was a pause. "Why not?" Atemu demanded.

"I had...broken a jug of water and-and my m-master was angry with me," Yugi responded, trying hard to keep his tears in as the event was recollected. "He s-said I was a w-worthless stupid slave, and he h-hit me and...then he got h-his whip, and I d-don't remember w-what happened next. I th-think that was when I blacked out."

"Why were they coming this way?"

Yugi was very scared. He didn't know, at all. Would he be punished like Mia? "I...I don't know that. They-they didn't let th-the slaves know anything about wh-where we went so we c-couldn't try to escape. We j-just had to do what we were told and n-nothing else."

(**NFT: **P.O.V. switch again)

Atemu wondered if he was telling the truth. What were the chances that Yugi and Mia would have nearly the same story? Unless they had planned it beforehand. Yami could still sense that something was being hidden from him, and he wanted to know what. Neither survivor was giving anything up, so he decided to do it the hard way.

"That's not good enough," he told Yugi flatly. He saw the immediate change. Yugi drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face in his arms. He was shaking violently now, and an occasional whimper could be heard. He obviously feared for his life. Atemu felt a stronger pang of guilt but pushed it away. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. "If you're not going to tell me the truth, then I'll just have to view it firsthand," he said, reaching out his hand towards Yugi. "I'm going to find out what you two are hiding, like it or not."

"No!" Ishizu burst out, rushing towards them. _If he tries to unlock Yugi's memories, he could emotionally destroy him!_

Atemu's hand had touched Yugi's head, and summoning up the proper dose of magic, he injected his mind's eye into Yugi's. _What are you hiding from me? _Flashes of light temporarily blinded his mind's eye, and then he found the door which Yugi's memories hid behind. He threw open the door, determined to find the truth.

Atemu's eyes widened as he was exposed to what was buried in Yugi's mind.

**END CHAPTER

* * *

Mena: Cliffie?**

Toli: Yep!

Mena: Yay! Cliffie! (tosses sugar cubes in the air and catches them in her mouth)

Jesselda: A cliffie already? Are you sure that's a good idea?

Toli: Sure I'm sure! It'll make people want to come back!

Jesselda: (shrugs) If you say so.

* * *

Atemu/Yami  
Hiroto/Honda/Tristan Taylor  
Jou/Jounouchi/Joey Wheeler  
Mia/Mai Valentine  
Marik/the hikari 


	3. Yugi's Memories

**RESPONSES

* * *

****Ann**

Mena: Yay! You likes! Here's he next chappie and thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**Masami, Mistress Of Fire**

Toli: Don't cry, Masami! Things will get better!...Or at least they should.

Mena: (waves) Hi, Damie-chan! Glad you like me--I mean it! Hope you enjoy the next chapter! Oh, and you too, Masami!

(Toli winks at Masami)

* * *

**Moses-the-little-gurl**

Mena: Awesome! Glad u like! Hope you enjoy and thanks for the review!

* * *

**Kit**

Toli: HAHAHAH! I MAKE YAMI SO EVIL SO OFTEN!

Mena: Toli! Please! Glad you like the story, despite Evil Yami. Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy the chappie!

* * *

Jesselda: Wow, Toli. You were right about cliffhangers. 

Toli: See? Toldja!

Mena: And now the continuation!

Twins: Yay!

Jesselda: They still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. If they said they did, they'd have a massive lawsuit on their hands, and they can't afford to go to court. They can't even afford to pay tithes.

Mena: (in background) Not funny!

Jesselda: Says you.

* * *

**THREE: Yugi's Memories**

**Previously...**

"That's not good enough," he told Yugi flatly. He saw the immediate change. Yugi drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face in his arms. He was shaking violently now, and an occasional whimper could be heard. He obviously feared for his life. Atemu felt a stronger pang of guilt but pushed it away. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. "If you're not going to tell me the truth, then I'll just have to view it firsthand," he said, reaching out his hand towards Yugi. "I'm going to find out what you two are hiding, like it or not."

"No!" Ishizu burst out, rushing towards them. _If he tries to unlock Yugi's memories, he could emotionally destroy him!_

Atemu's hand had touched Yugi's head, and summoning up the proper dose of magic, he injected his mind's eye into Yugi's. _What are you hiding from me? _Flashes of light temporarily blinded his mind's eye, and then he found the doors which Yugi's memories hid behind. He threw open the door, determined to find the truth.

Atemu's eyes widened as he was exposed to what was buried in Yugi's mind.

**The Continuation...**

In his mind's eye, Atemu found himself flying down a tunnel of blue lights. All around him were pictures holding images of Yugi's past. He looked around for the one he desired. His outstretched arm accidentally hit an image, and it flooded the tunnel.

* * *

_"Who are you?" Yugi asked._

_The young man smirked down at the little boy beneath him. "I'm a refined thief."_

_"A thief?" The boy's eyes widened in astonishment. "Then you have adventures? You fight off the Pharaoh's guards and steal precious jewels that don't belong to him?"_

_The thief seemed pleased at Yugi's reaction. "Mostly, squirt," he said. "You seem excited about it."_

_Yugi nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes. I never have anything exciting happen to me, so I imagine great adventures with people nobody likes as the hero. Nobody likes thieves, so I think about them all the time. I even share my adventures with my little sister. She likes my stories. Have you ever gotten caught?"_

_"Nope," the thief said proudly. "I'm too good for the Pharaoh's idiot guards to catch me."_

_"Wow," Yugi said in wonder._

_"Yugi! Where are you? It's time to go!"_

_Yugi pouted cutely. "Aww," he said. He turned to reenter the crowd of the marketplace, then turned back. "Before I go, what's your name? I want to tell my sister I met a real live thief."_

_The thief actually ruffled Yugi's unusual hair. "The name's Bakura, squirt," he said. "Don't forget it."_

_"Oh, I won't!" Yugi declared vehemently, his face aglow with excitement. He turned to get back to his mother's side._

_

* * *

_In a flash the scene faded back to a square and flew along with the rest of the images back in the tunnel. Atemu shook his head to clear the dots in front of his eyes and looked around again. He reached out to a memory that looked promising, and when his hand touched it, it expanded all around him like the first one.

* * *

_"Please, don't do this," Mia begged._

_Tears filled Yugi's eyes. "Why not? I've never been so hurt in my life!" The sting of his new master's whip was still present on his back. "I don't want to live like this. I don't!"_

_"This isn't the way to solve it!" Mia told him. "There are other ways to get freedom."_

_The knife lowered a little. "What ways?"_

_"There are plenty of them, but if you just kill yourself now, you'll never find them!" she said. "Please Yugi. We can make it through if we stick together."_

_The knife dropped from Yugi's hand onto the sand. Yugi sank to his knees, the tears breaking and sliding down his face. Mia crawled closer and wrapped her arms around him. "I promise you, we can do this if we stick together and watch each other's backs."_

_"Okay," Yugi whispered, his tears dripping onto her shoulder. "I trust you."_

_

* * *

_The image shrank back to a square. Atemu looked around for something else and tried touching something that looked a little more recent. The picture flooded the tunnel like before.

* * *

_"Slave!" the frightening voice yelled. "Where have you been? And where is my water?"_

_Yugi gulped and looked down. "Um, I-I accidentally broke the pitcher, Master."_

_"You WHAT?" The master loomed over Yugi, looking angry. "You broke my water jug? You worthless, stupid--!" He suddenly slapped Yugi hard across the face, knocking him to the ground. "I don't know why I even bother with you! It seems like you can't do anything right at all!" He grabbed his coiled whip off the peg. "It looks like you need to be taught a lesson in clumsiness!"_

_Yugi trembled on the ground as he held a hand over the cut on his cheek. His squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the fall of the whip._

_"Next time, you had better watch yourself!" the master yelled, bringing the whip down so fast it whistled. Yugi felt the first lash, and it tore across his back like fire. The second brought an equal amount of pain to the table. Then the third. Then the fourth. Then again and again. Yugi could feel tears squeezing past his tightly closed eyelids in spite of himself, but he did not make any noise at all. That would simply get him an even longer punishment. Now the lashes just felt like a numbing sheet of pain spreading all over his back. It seemed as though the master was particularly angry this time. Yugi thought he felt the lash stop falling, and tried to breathe again. It hurt._

_Suddenly, the lash began to fall again. Yugi was totally unprepared and almost cried out. The new wave of pain added to the first made it nearly unbearable. Yugi had to clamp down on his lower lip to keep from making noise. The whip stopped for a few seconds, and then started again. Yugi's tears were flowing, even though his eyes were shut, and he had to bite harder on his lip. He felt a strange crawling darkness at the corners of his mind, almost as if he were sleepy, but he couldn't be sleepy at a time like this. The darkness began to take over his consciousness, and he found that the more of the darkness he sensed, the less pain he felt. So he freely let the darkness take over, to escape the terrible burning pain that had been tripled. He gladly welcomed the escape from the realm of the conscious and slipped into a dark sleep._

_

* * *

_The image turned black and shrank back to a square. Atemu accidentally bumped his elbow into another image, and it encompassed the tunnel.

* * *

_Yugi stood over his mother's lifeless body. Her own blood was pooled under her and spreading. The ominous-looking knife that protruded from her chest caught the flickering reflections of the small fire behind him. Her eyes were open, and their sparkle was gone. He couldn't bear the sight any longer. He turned away._

_Yugi's six-years-younger sister was holding onto his arm for dear life. Tears were streaming out of her blue eyes as her gaze swept over their mother's dead body. "She's dead," she whispered, as if she couldn't believe it without saying it._

_"It's okay, Reikena," Yugi said, holding her hand and turning to face her. "We've still got each other."_

_Reikena looked up into her older brother's eyes and nodded. They hugged tightly, afraid to let go._

_There was the sound of something crashing. "The woman was right--there's nothing of value in here," a gruff voice said._

_"Except the children," a second voice said. "We can sell them to the highest bidder. The going price for an able young body is incredibly high these days."_

_"True." Yugi heard footsteps coming towards them and kept his arms wrapped protectively around his sister. The two turned to face the people who had broken into their home._

_"Good news, brats," the first man said with a sneer. "The two of you are going to make us a whole lot wealthier." He reached out and snatched Yugi's sister right out of the boy's arms._

_"Reikena!" Yugi yelled. He ran at the man. The second guy reached out to grab him, but he dodged the hands and tackled the first man with everything in him. The man grunted as they all fell to the floor in a heap. "Get him of me!"_

_Yugi reached for Reikena, and she reached back. They managed to grab hands before the second man wrapped a huge arm around Yugi's neck, nearly cutting of his air supply, and pulled him away. The first man growled and stood up with Reikena kicking and screaming under one arm. "Hoto, get some rope out of the--ow!"_

_Reikena sank her teeth into the man's hand. He threw her to the ground and clutched his attacked hand. Yugi's sister had bitten hard enough to draw blood. "You damn brat! I've got something for you!" From his satchel he pulled another knife. Yugi gasped and tried to struggle out of Hoto's grip before--before--_

_"NOOO!" Yugi cried as the knife plunged. One scream was all his sister could manage. Hoto released him for some reason. He felt tears sliding down his cheeks as he backed away. Not his sister. Not after he had just seen his mother's body. This couldn't be happening!_

_Yugi sank to his knees, the evil laughter around him fading in his ears. "Please no," he whispered. "I can't take this. Please no..."_

_

* * *

Suddenly, Atemu was shoved from the memory, shoved from the tunnel, shoved out of Yugi's mind and back into his own. Yugi's panicked scream echoed in his skull as he tried to recover from what he'd seen._

A couple of feet away from the bed, Ishizu stood stock-still, fearing the worst as she saw Atemu sever his connection to Yugi's mind. Her eyes were on the boy, who was staring up at Yami with the most horrible glassy-eyed expression, and tears were already running down his cheeks.

"Come back," Yugi whispered, before his eyes closed and he slumped over. Ishizu rushed to the bedside, surprised that Atemu had actually caught the boy. She stopped beside the bed, noticing how Atemu stared down at the boy in his arms. It looked as though he were trying to speak. Finally he managed some words, but not a lot. "He lost his sister...only minutes after losing his mother...how did he cope with that?" He didn't seem to want an answer from the only other conscious person in the room.

"Atemu, I told you that you did not know what you were doing," Ishizu said, and she truly meant it. But not the way Atemu might have thought. _Perhaps I was right after all._

Atemu could only stare down at Yugi. Somehow, seeing those memories had restored the guilt, only ten times stronger and ten times harder to ignore. Through invading Yugi's mind, he had discovered that Yugi and Mia had been telling the truth, among other things. _He's been through so much, _Atemu thought. _Ishizu must be right. He IS on the verge of a breakdown. Do I want to be what causes it? _He looked down at Yugi's unconscious form and then and there made a decision that was so completely unexpected, so weird, and so spontaneous, that if he had been told five minutes earlier that he would do it, he would have laughed in that person's face and then sent them to prison.

He looked up at Ishizu, who was standing silently by the bed. "What do I do?" he asked.

Ishizu didn't seem surprised by his sudden change of attitude, though he was. "You should let him rest," she said. "Your sudden intrusion in his mind has completely exhausted him, and if you are to have a chance to reach him, you had better not do that again any time soon."

Atemu laid Yugi back down on the bed and covered him up.

"With his old master, one of the raiders, he was physically abused often, as well as mentally and emotionally abused," Ishizu went on. "He has obviously been taught that it is dangerous to trust or let anyone near him. His first experience with you may take months to reverse, if you try."

"I want to try," Atemu found himself saying. "He's suffered so much. I...I don't want to make him suffer anymore."

"Then you will release Mia, let me treat her injuries, and let her see Yugi again. If you can manage to do that, we'll work on the more important things," Ishizu told him. "Now you should leave. Don't come back to see him for the rest of today. I'll work on him and try to get him to open up more, and you can visit him tomorrow morning, _at the earliest_." She was acting like a mother times two.

Atemu nodded. He left without another word. As he exited the room, he saw Tea going by. He called her over. "Send word to Marik: the prisoner we were interrogating is to be released to Ishizu."

Tea bowed. "Yes, my Pharaoh," she said, hurrying off.

* * *

Yugi's eyes opened. Where was he? He looked around, confused. He didn't recognize his surroundings. Then, suddenly, the Pharaoh's interrogation came back to him, and he jolted upright in bed. Where was the Pharaoh? Was he coming back? Had he gone to get some punishing instrument? 

"I see you're awake," Yugi heard on the side he wasn't facing. Slowly, dreadfully, he turned to see who it was, and relaxed slightly when he saw it was Miss Ishizu. His eyes darted around to see if he could spot the Pharaoh.

"The Pharaoh is gone," Miss Ishizu said. "He won't be coming back today. But Mia is coming."

Yugi looked back at her. "M-Mia?" he ventured hopefully.

Miss Ishizu nodded. "Yes. You don't need to fear us anymore, Yugi. The Pharaoh is sorry for what he did to you and Mia and he wishes to help you."

Yugi shrank back. "H-Help me? He-He hurt Mia."

"I know," Miss Ishizu said. "He didn't truly understand what he was putting you through. The Pharaoh does not really want to be mean, you see. He only wants those under his reign to respect him. He is very young, only eighteen, and he is not responsible enough to properly control a kingdom."

Yugi found himself getting interested, despite his fear. "He isn't?" he asked.

"No. He hurt you and Mia only to try and get you to respect him. He went about it all wrong, of course, and now he knows that and he wants to help you."

Yugi wasn't sure he understood. His face mirrored how he felt.

"Don't worry, Yugi, it's all right now. He won't hurt you or Mia anymore."

"He...won't?" Yugi questioned timidly.

Miss Ishizu shook her head. "No."

Despite what she said, Yugi couldn't be sure. He could remember someone who had said they wouldn't hurt him, and then they had gone and hurt both him and his sister in the worst way, even though Reikena wasn't around long enough to be as hurt. Yugi shuddered in recollection. He laid his hands in his lap, tugging on one of his fingers.

(**NFT: **P.O.V. switch again)

Ishizu could tell that Yugi didn't truly believe her. She wasn't surprised. After what he had obviously been through, why would he believe anyone? She knew it would be a long and arduous task if Atemu truly wanted to help the boy, which it seemed that he did. She hoped that there was still a chance to reach them both.

"Yugi," Ishizu said suddenly, "how old are you?"

Yugi glanced up at her, and then looked back down. "Fifteen," he answered quietly.

So he was older than he looked. Ishizu nodded absently, and then stood up.

"Wait here," she said. "I will be back momentarily, and then I am going to go and get Mia for you." She left the room.

Yugi watched her go, fear still flashing in his eyes.

* * *

Mia watched the floor sullenly. Her head still ached from the Pharaoh's attack on her brain earlier. Her heart ached as well, with thoughts of what that cruel Pharaoh could be doing to poor Yugi. Ever since she had known the boy, he had been so fragile, so easily hurt. He was like her exact opposite, gender and all. She was known to have a temper and a rebellious streak. She had no problem punching anybody's lights out, even the Pharaoh's, as she had almost demonstrated. She could get in your face with no hesitation. And she had sworn to stay with Yugi and protect him for as long as she could the day she had stopped him from committing suicide. It hurt her so badly to not be with him now. Even the pain of the lash marks on her arms, and the throbbing in her head, didn't compare to the grief in her heart. 

_Oh, Yugi, I hope that you're okay._

The sound of the door to the interrogation chamber opening brought her head up for a second. Then she let it hang again; she didn't care who it was. Footsteps--more than one person's--approached her. When they got close, they stopped. There was silence. Mia couldn't see because her hair was hanging in her face. Then, a woman's voice spoke, calm and soft. "Remove the shackles, Jou."

"Yes, ma'am," said a familiar voice. Mia tensed; she recognized it. It was the voice of that mean guard who had pulled her and Yugi apart. Oh, how she wanted to give him a good one. And by good, she meant _bad_.

Mia felt the manacles around her wrists being loosened, and then they fell off completely. She almost collapsed to the floor from the pain of being forced to stand up for so long, but she kept her feet, determined not to be caught off guard. She rubbed the red skin on her wrists and threw her head back, effectively clearing her hair out of her face, so she could see who had released her.

The Guard and an unfamiliar woman greeted her eyes. The guard she had already identified; she noticed with satisfaction the shiner underneath his left eye. The woman Mia thought she may have seen once; straight black hair just below her shoulders, evenly tanned skin, and solemn blue eyes. She had on clothes that signified her to be a part of the Pharaoh's private staff.

"Who are you?" Mia demanded.

"My name is Ishizu," the woman said. "I am the Pharaoh's personal physician. I have come to escort you to one of my healing rooms so that I may treat your injuries."

Mia drew back, cautious but ready to attack if need be. "Why?" she asked warily.

"I would prefer if Yugi did not see you in your present condition. It would trouble him further."

Mia gasped. "Yugi?" she exclaimed. "Is he all right? What has the Pharaoh done to him?"

"Do not worry," Ishizu assured her. "Yugi is safe and unharmed. The Pharaoh was...misguided about his earlier ways of treating you. I have convinced him to change his ways, and he has allowed me to see to your treatment and visiting Yugi."

Mia's reflexively clenched fists loosened. She wasn't sure about the Pharaoh's "misguidedness" but she would cooperate, at least for a while, if she would get to see Yugi.

Ishizu nodded. "Come then, and follow me," she said, turning and walking towards the door. Mia came after her, followed closely by The Guard.

The Guard tapped her on the shoulder. When she glanced over her shoulder to glare at him, he said, "Listen. I wanted to say I'm sorry for pullin' you and your friend apart. I really didn't wanna do it, but there's no disobeying the Pharaoh."

Mia's eyebrows raised. "You're apologizing?" she said incredulously.

The Guard--or Jou--nodded. "I felt real bad about it afterwards. It kept eatin' at me."

Mia was surprised--and unsure what to do with her anger now. "Oh, well, um, all right," she said uncertainly.

Jou looked relieved at her half-acceptance of his apology.

"Mia," Ishizu said, calling Mia's attention to her, "I thought you would like to know what your position will be here. I spoke to the Pharaoh before I arrived the retrieve you, and once you are finished healing, you will be employed as a servant here in the palace. You will receive two meals a day and sleep in the female servants' quarters."

Mia grimaced. Even though it would probably be better than what she had endured back with the raiders, she still didn't _want _to be a servant. "Just a regular servant?" Mia questioned as they went up a flight of stone stairs. "Just cleaning up after important people and stuff like that?"

"Yes," Ishizu said. Mia ignored the puzzled look Jou gave her. "Unless you have some special talent which could be employed."

"None that I can think of," Mia said.

* * *

Yugi was watching a fly. It was a stupid fly; it kept trying to land somewhere on his face. Eventually he got tired of watching it and killed it. 

_I wonder if Miss Ishizu will be back with Mia, _Yugi thought as he shifted on the bed. He still didn't trust the woman, but he did feel like she didn't mean him any harm. At least not yet. She had taken him away from the Pharaoh after the incident down in the interrogation chamber, and had refused to let the Pharaoh in to see him.

_Why does she want to help me? _Yugi wondered, sitting back down on his bed. _Is someone maybe making her help me?_

Thedoor opened, and Yugi looked up in surprise. Automatically he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his folded arms on them, his defensive position. He watched with fear rising as an unfamiliar girl entered the room. _Who is she, and what does she want?_

Whoever she was, she didn't look too comfortable herself. She was dressed in servant's attire, and carried a plate of food and a cup of water. She pushed the door closed with her foot as she timidly approached the bed. Her long red hair was pulled back into a braid and covered up with a scarf, like she wanted nobody to see it, but some of it was still visible. Very carefully, she set the food and water down on the table beside the bed and looked up at him again. Her green eyes mirrored the fear in Yugi's.

_She's scared too._

"Why are _you _scared?" Yugi found himself asking.

The girl looked startled, as if being addressed was something bad. Then she lowered her eyes to the ground. "Well...you are a stranger," she said.

"I scare you?" The thought was purely fascinating. "You scared me."

"I did?" Apparently it was fascinating to her too. She looked up. Both of them watched each other with a kind of innocent curiosity, the thought of each being afraid of the other somehow canceling out their fear. The same thought was running through their minds: _If you're afraid of me, and I'm afraid of you, neither of us will hurt the other, right?_

"My name is Shizuka," the girl ventured bravely. She held her breath, hoping that he wasn't going to yell at her for something she had done wrong.

Yugi blinked. After a pause, he answered, "I'm Yugi." They watched each other again. Shizuka appeared to be about to say something else to Yugi. They were both curious about the other.

Then the door opened. The fear rose up in both of them again, and Shizuka turned and darted for the door as Yugi's eyes flew to his lap. He heard some conversation from behind the door, but couldn't quite make it out.

Miss Ishizu walked over to Yugi's bedside. "Yugi, it's me," she said softly. Yugi dared to look up at her, and his eyes lit up when he saw who was standing beside her.

"Yugi!" Mia exclaimed. She bent down and grabbed him in a hug.

"Mia," Yugi breathed, wrapping his arms around her neck. Miss Ishizu hadn't lied. She had brought Mia back. He felt tears rising and spilling as his only friend in the whole world sat down next to him on the bed and lifted him into her lap.

"It's okay, Yugi, I'm here," Mia said, rubbing Yugi's back. "And I'm never leaving you again."

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

Atemu/Yami  
Hiroto/Honda/Tristan Taylor  
Jou/Jounouchi/Joey Wheeler  
Mia/Mai Valentine  
Shizuka/Serenity Wheeler  
Reikena/Rebecca Hawkins

Mena: KAWAII! Is it not? Is it not?

(Toli is banging her head on the desk)

Jesselda: What does "kawaii" mean?

Mena: It's means cute in Japanese!!

Jesselda: Oh. Then, yeah, I guess it's kawaii.

Toli: (sits up) I thought I mentioned how much fluff drives me nuts.

Mena: But kawaii-ness is never a bad thing! Especially in a story that's going to get sadder later when Yugi--

(Jesselda clamps a hand over Mena's mouth)

Toli: Please read, review, and come back next time!


	4. Opening Up

**RESPONSES**

**

* * *

Kit**

Mena: Yay! Let's all hug Yugi! (glomps Yugi)

Toli: Yeah, Yami getting better is a good thing! (shoots down crickets) Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

SoulDreamer**

Toli: Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**

* * *

ShebyTheDogDemoness**

Mena: (stares at Sheby) Will Sheby be all right?

Toli: Wow, we almost made her cry? WHAT AN HONOR!!! (contains herself) Anyway, glad you all could join us again! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Mena: (pokes Sheby) Sheby? Sheby? Sheeeebeeee...

**

* * *

kristen89**

Mena: Wow! All that...and all that! Cool! You likes!

Toli: Yeah! I have to say, that is the best review we've ever seen before! What nice compliments! Thank you very much! This chapter is for you!

**

* * *

Masami, Mistress Of Fire**

Mena: Damie-chan! (jumps into Damion's arms and knocks him down)

Toli: O.O...O.o; Um...Anyway! Hey, Masami! So great to see you!

Mena: I agree! (glomps Damion excessively)

Toli: Now don't cry, Masami. Things will get better! Then they'll get worse...then better...then worse...then better...then much worse...and eventually it will end. So, hope you plan to stick around! (grabs the back of Mena's shirt and drags her away) Come on, sister, we have a story to write!

**

* * *

**

**To all**

Toli: We thank you incredibly for the support!

Mena: And we hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**

* * *

**(Mena is reading a newspaper, with her feet propped up on the computer desk, eating sugar cubes out of a bowl. Jesselda is trying to create a recipe for sugar-free sugar cubes so she can have some peace and quiet later) 

Toli: (burst into room carrying laptop) WHY haven't you updated the story, Mena?!?!

Mena: Huh? What? (falls out of chair. Jesselda cringes at thump, and then continues on)

Toli: Slain! It's been sitting there for...for...

Jesselda:Six whole days.

Mena: (sits up) Chill, sis. It's under control! Let's just do this story, 'kay?

Toli: All right. A forewarning to our readers: Writer's Block is attacking. So, Jesselda?

Jesselda: (doesn't turn around) If the people haven't figured out yet that you two don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, then either you're not saying it well enough, or they're not listening well enough.

Mena/Toli: ...

**NFT:** Rereading our last chapters, I found a place where I had put "Yami" instead of "Atemu". That was a grammatical error. If you see any place where it says "Yami", it's supposed to say "Atemu". Report it to us as well, so we can remember in the future!

**

* * *

FOUR: Opening Up**

Ishizu met Atemu at the door. Seto was with him. They had dropped by before an early council meeting that morning.

"How is he?" Atemu asked.

"He is well," Ishizu said. "His emotional condition seems to have improved, as well as his and Mia's physical condition. Mia was taken downstairs to be shown what her work will be by the female servants' overseer."

"Can I see him?" Atemu's main concern wasn't about Mia.

Ishizu nodded. "But, as before, I will have to ask you to wait outside, Seto," she said.

Seto shrugged. "Fine." He waited as Atemu and Ishizu entered the healing room, the door closing behind them.

"Now," Ishizu said in a low voice, "I trust you will obey my guidelines as how to act around Yugi this time."

Atemu nodded solemnly.

Ishizu nodded as well, and then motioned him over to the bed. Yugi was lying on his side, facing away from them. He was covered up but not asleep. His eyes had a faraway look in them. Ishizu slowly led Atemu over to face Yugi so they wouldn't startle the boy too much. He blinked, looked up, and shrank back reflexively at the sight of the Pharaoh.

"It is all right," Ishizu said. "He only wishes to speak with you." She stepped back to let Atemu take over.

For once, Atemu felt awkward and unsure what to say. He looked down at Yugi, who was pulled back away from him, and realized that he might not seem as intimidating if he was lower down. He glanced around and saw a low stool near him. He pulled it up and sat down, effectively bringing him down farther. He took a deep breath, unsure how to continue. How did he erase the damage he had, without doubt, already caused?

He was surprised when Yugi started the conversation for him. "What do you want?" Yugi whispered, pulling the covers up higher as if using them as a shield.

Atemu caught himself before he leaned forward. "I want to help," he said softly.

Yugi's lower lip trembled. "You--you--you let that man--your guard--hurt Mia," he said.

"I know," Atemu said, nodding. "That was an enormous mistake, and I'm sorry. I want to fix that now. I want to help you both." Mainly, he just wanted to help Yugi, but if helping Mia helped Yugi, then he could do that too.

"W-Why should I believe you?" Yugi whispered.

"Honestly..." Atemu bit his lip. He was really going out on a limb for this kid, and he had never bothered to do such before. "Honestly, you shouldn't. You don't know me very well, and my first impression was terrible. I gave you and Mia undeserved hell. But I won't anymore," Atemu found himself saying. He watched Yugi watch him with large amethyst eyes that flashed utter terror. But, behind that, there was something else. Something that looked vaguely like...hope.

"Yugi," Atemu said, lowering his voice more as he unconsciously leaned forward, "has anyone ever promised you anything before?"

Yugi watched him as if searching for a trap. "...Mia," he finally answered. "She promised that-that she'd never leave me of her own free will. And she hasn't. Nobody else...has ever promised me anything."

"Then I promise you this," Atemu said, finding himself reaching out and taking Yugi's hand. "I promise I will _never_ hurt you again. Ever. And you can hold that promise to me for the rest of my life. I mean it, Yugi. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I only want to help you." Atemu had caught the flash of new fear in Yugi's eyes when he grabbed his hand. He tried to pull it away, but Atemu held on to it. He was determined to get his point across.

Yugi was trembling again. He was obviously afraid that Atemu was going to try and hurt him while he couldn't get away. "P-p-please, let go," he whispered.

"I will, because you asked," Atemu said. He released Yugi's hand, and Yugi pulled it to his chest. He seemed to be weighing Atemu's last statement in his mind. He watched Atemu as he slowly sat up, the covers falling to his waist.

"Now, I have to go," Atemu said. "But I want to come back. I want you to think about what I've said to you, and look inside your heart and see if you can trust me."

_Trust? _Yugi repeated in his mind. _Trust has given me nothing good. But then,_ _he... _Yugi watched Atemu, wondering. Was it true that the Pharaoh did want to help him? That was what Miss Ishizu had said. She hadn't lied about bringing Mia back, so maybe she wasn't lying about the Pharaoh's change of heart.

"Do you think you could, little one?" Atemu asked.

Yugi blinked. Was he being asked a question? A question where there wasn't one, obvious answer? "I...I don't know...yet," he answered truthfully. Was it possible that maybe...the Pharaoh _wasn't_ trying to trick him? He felt a long dormant hope raise inside of him. He wanted so desperately to be able to trust people again. But over the years it had become dangerous to trust. Maybe, since things had changed from good to bad, they could change back from bad to good.

Dare he try?

"Maybe," he whispered, looking down at his lap. _Please, please let this be true. I do **want** to trust him, but I just don't know if I can yet. Maybe if I can talk to Mia again, she can help me. _

He flinched when he felt the Pharaoh place his hand over his own. "Think about it, little one. Please do. I have to go now." The hand was removed and Yugi relaxed. He didn't look up when Atemu left.

"There now, that was not so bad, was it?" Miss Ishizu was kneeling beside the bed, eye level with him. He looked over at her, and she had a gentle smile on her face. "Was it now?" she asked again.

"No," Yugi said. "He's not...trying to trick me...is he?" he dared to ask her.

Miss Ishizu shook her head. "No," she said. "He truly wants you to trust him. He made you a promise that he intends to keep. And he even gave you a pet name. That is a great honor when it comes to the Pharaoh."

Yugi thought back to the conversation. "Little one", the Pharaoh had called him. It had been a long time since someone had called him something besides his name and it was not something derogatory or obscene. In a sudden burst of...something, he didn't know, he clutched Miss Ishizu's arm.

"I want to trust him," he admitted, "but I just don't know. He could be trying to trick me into disobeying, like my old master. I don't know what he's like." Tears has risen to his eyes.

Miss Ishizu seemed surprised that he suddenly latched on to her arm, but she handled it well. She lightly patted his hand. "Trust me, Yugi. I have known the Pharaoh since he was a child, and he is not trying to deceive you. He means what he says."

Yugi started to tremble again. "What if--I make him angry?" he whispered. "He'll punish me, like-like he punished Mia. I don't want to..." He dissolved into tears. He desperately wanted comfort and an escape from the life he was used to living. Miss Ishizu had been nice to him from the beginning. She hadn't tried to trick him, and she had never lied to him. She had never tried to purposely startle him, and she hadn't yelled at him or even raised her voice all that much around him. He finally knew, he felt safer around her. Even when the Pharaoh had been interrogating him, with her in the room, he had felt like nothing _too_ bad would happen to him. She reminded him of Mia in a lot of the best ways, and he wanted to trust her too. He felt her arm wrap around his shoulders, and he didn't flinch.

He wasn't afraid of her anymore.

* * *

Atemu felt something jab him in the side, and it jerked him awake. He tried to act like he hadn't been nodding off when he realized that he had. Fortunately, none of the members of his council--seven old guys and a woman too young to be hanging around with seven old guys--had noticed. The eldest, Nafato, was still droning on about people's complaints of the latest tax. _Well, they can get over it or go to hell, _Atemu wanted to say, and leave it a that, but he had a feeling that wasn't the proper response. 

The extremely bored Pharaoh slid a glare over at Seto, the ruiner of his impromptu nap, who was acting like he hadn't touched him. He just watched old Nafato go on with his usual stern glare.

Atemu was almost ready to scream when Nafato finally finished and sat down. The woman, Asli, stood up then, making Atemu pay a little more attention. Asli was in charge of the more important things like attackers, raiders--she had announced the one that Mia and Yugi had come from--and the occasional important person who wanted to challenge Yami to a Shadow Game. Plus, she was a knockout, with long silky black hair she always let hang free, and large brown eyes and evenly tanned skin.

Asli bowed formally. "Your Highness, High Priest," she said before beginning her section of the meeting. "As you may or may not know, Your Highness, the notorious thief Bakura has gotten away with yet another heist. He stole all of the valuable items from your grandfather's tomb and left a note saying that he would be back to 'clean out your father's tomb as well'."

"He _what_?" Atemu exclaimed. "That conniving little--damn him. I can't stand his cocky attitude. What's been done to apprehend him?"

Asli consulted a scroll she held. "Two teams of guards have been sent out to follow his trail, but as usual, he didn't leave much behind to trace. It seems he has vanished into thin air again."

"He has to have a hideout somewhere," Atemu persisted.

"We haven't found it yet, My Pharaoh."

"Well, it better be found, and soon," Atemu said. "I want him dead by the end of this week."

After that, there was nothing else worth staying awake for. Atemu was glad when the meeting was finally over. He left Seto to do whatever he felt like as he took the familiar path back to Ishizu's healing room. He paused outside, hearing voices.

"...And Tea's nice too," he heard Mia saying. "She's kind of clumsy, and that gets her in trouble a lot, but she's a friendly person. They're all really nice people, Yugi, and I bet they'd love to get to know you."

There was what sounded like a small silence. "I-I don't know," Yugi's quiet voice finally came.

"Don't worry, Yugi," Mia's voice said. "Nobody wants to hurt you here. At least, not anymore. We're going to stay here, and everything's going to be a lot better than it used to be. I think that the Pharaoh is a fair master, at least I hope so, and nothing could be worse than before, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Yugi's voice said faintly. Then, "Mia, what do you think about the Pharaoh? I mean, does he seem like...somebody who might not...be...um..."

"Nice?" Mia filled in. Atemu suspected that Yugi nodded there. "I don't know what he's like, but I think something happened to him to make him want to change his ways. Who knows, you might have spurred on the decision."

Atemu listened for anything else. He was slightly caught off guard when the door came open and Ishizu was looking at him. "Did you want something, Atemu?" she asked.

"Oh, um..." Atemu found himself at a loss for words. "I was just wondering how Yugi was doing."

"Well," Ishizu answered. "His injuries are almost completely healed." She came out and closed the door behind herself. "Actually, Atemu, that was something I wanted to discuss with you. When he is able, what position would you have Yugi take?"

Atemu answered without thinking. "I would most likely make him my personal servant. It seems like the best idea."

Ishizu nodded. "Most likely, yes." She reopened the door. "Come in and speak with him about it."

Atemu nodded as well and followed Ishizu inside. On Yugi's bed, Yugi and Mia were sitting next to each other, and Mia had her arm around Yugi's shoulders. They looked up at Atemu warily.

"Mia, if you would, please join the other servants downstairs for duty assignment," Ishizu said.

Mia gave Yugi a quick hug and stood up. "Yes ma'am," she said, leaving the room. She didn't even acknowledge the Pharaoh, and he had to resist the urge to yell at her for it. _You're helping Yugi; stay in control of your annoyance. _

Ishizu turned back to the door. "I will be next door tending to another patient," she said, leaving.

It was just Yugi and Atemu. Yugi watched Atemu carefully as he pulled his legs up to his chest. Atemu, feeling awkward, walked over to the bedside and sat on the low stool.

Yugi watched him with suspicious purple eyes. "What do you want?" he asked cautiously.

Atemu rested his arms on the bed. "I wanted to talk to you about your position here," he said, being sure to keep his voice at a low level.

"...Okay..." Yugi said, unsure how to respond. "...Your Highness," he added quickly.

"First of all, you don't have to call me Your Highness anymore," Atemu said.

Yugi glanced at him for a moment, curiosity written across his features. "I don't?"

Atemu shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" Yugi couldn't help asking.

_I'm not sure I know the answer myself. _Atemu settled for a smile. "Because I would like you to call me by my name. Wouldn't you like to call me by my name?"

Yugi looked down at his lap and then back up at the Pharaoh. He seemed indecisive. "Well...yes," he said uncertainly. "What is it?"

"Atemu."

"Oh." Yugi cocked his head to the side. "It's a nice name."

"Thank you," Atemu said. "It's just like your name. Your name is nice too."

Yugi looked back down in his lap. "Oh no, my...my name is not nice. It's stupid."

"Who told you that?" Atemu asked.

Yugi closed his eyes as he tried to control his trembling. "My...old master."

"Well, he was wrong." Atemu placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, but removed it quickly when the younger boy tensed up. "Your name is fine, Yugi, and you shouldn't believe anybody who tells you otherwise."

Yugi opened his eyes and looked back up. "Okay...if you say so," he said.

Atemu nodded. "Now, I hate to ask you this, but what did you used to do back with the raiders?"

Yugi noticeably tensed again. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his chin on them. "I...just...did whatever they told me," he said. "Just cleaning, and laundry, and picking up stuff...and taking care of the animals...um...that's about all."

"Well, then let me explain what you're going to do here," Yami said. Over the next ten minutes he explained to Yugi what his duties would be. As a personal servant his workload would be half that of a regular servant. He would do whatever Atemu told him and--usually--go wherever the Pharaoh went. He would have a bed in the Pharaoh's quarters for sleeping on, and he would be able to go have his meals with other servants if he wished.

"I get a bed?" Yugi had interrupted once, truly amazed and confused.

"Of course," Atemu said. "Everyone here gets a bed."

"They do?"

"Yes."

"Wow." Yugi seemed to be particularly interested in the bed thing. _He probably had to sleep on the ground back with his old master, _Atemu thought, his eyes narrowing in anger. _I'm not sure how he ended up with those raiders, but he most certainly didn't deserve it! _

"Do you want to see the rest of the palace?" Atemu asked when he was finished. "It might help if you know how to get around."

Yugi looked uncomfortable. "Oh--um...I don't know..."

"Maybe later?" Atemu tried, with an encouraging smile.

Yugi looked down and nodded. "Yeah...maybe later, Yo--Atemu."

There was a timid knock on the door. Atemu and Yugi both looked up. "Enter," Atemu commanded.

(**NFT**: P.O.V. switch)

The door opened, and Yugi saw the same girl he had seen only once before. The scared girl. Shizuka. She looked even more afraid to be in the same room with the Pharaoh. _Does the Pharaoh scare her? _Yugi wondered. _Wait--it's not the Pharaoh anymore. He wants me to call him Atemu. _

"Uhhh, Your Highness, Miss Ishizu sent me with a meal for Yugi," Serenity informed Atemu with a hint of fear in her voice. She had another tray of food in her hands, and her hair was in a ponytail that was covered with a scarf and tucked into the back of her dress, for some reason. Keeping her eyes down, she hesitantly walked over and set the tray on the little table on the other side of Yugi's bed. Pausing, she glanced up at Yugi, and their eyes met. There was a flash of familiarity between them, and then Shizuka quickly bowed to Atemu and left like her backside was on fire.

"Anyway," Atemu said, turning back to Yugi, "go ahead and eat. We'll plan the tour later, okay?"

Yugi nodded and looked down again. "Okay."

**END CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

Mena: Hey! That chap was shorter than the others! Toli, you're cheating our readers!

Toli: Oh, shut up! I am maintaining _four_ stories, two of which I have Writer's Block on! Cut me a break!

Mena: That's two and a half! I'm helping you with both Home And Not Alone _and_ The Wizard Of Domino High!

Jesselda: Obvious plug there.

Toli: Anyway, sorry if this chapter seemed uneventful, folks. But trust me! It's gonna get good!

Mena: Let's give them a better incentive! Coming up, readers, Yugi starts to have nightmares, Jou becomes attracted to Mia, Seto and Atemu fight about Yugi, and a certain thief makes an impromptu appearance! Come join us for the next exciting chappie!


	5. Acquaintance With A Thief

**RESPONSES**

**

* * *

ShebyTheDogDemoness**

Toli: (waves hand dismissively) Don't worry about it, Sheby. I figured you'd be okay.

Mena: O.O THE SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE?!?! I DON'T THINK I'M READY! TOLI!! I GOTTA GO PRAY!! (dashes off like a racehorse)

Toli: (stares after her) O.O Um...thanks for reviewing!

**

* * *

**

**dontmesswithYami**

Mena: Thanks for the compliment!

Toli: And the luck! Managing four stories (and not forgetting three and a half of them exist) is tough work. But it's easier since there's two of us, and since our little sister Mani comes to us every day and says "Have you updated (fill in the blank) yet? Do you need to? Do you want someone to come and _kill_ us or something?!" She's so sweet sometimes, but sometimes so _annoying_! Hmm. Like you, Mena.

Mena: Hey!

**

* * *

Masami, Mistress Of Fire**

Mena: O.O (gasps dramatically) Damie-chan! (drops to her knees and hugs Damion, sobbing) Are you all right? Did I hurt you? Oh, I'm so sorry, Damie-chan! My kind of love is dangerous!

Toli: O.O No way! She just admitted she loves Damion! (cackles) Too priceless! I'll remember this! Anyway, yo, Masami! Yep, I can bomb your school. I have plenty of missiles lying around the house uselessly (in fact, I gave a few to a friend earlier). My little sister Mani likes to bat at them because they're so shiny. I'll see what I can do. And don't cry, Masami! Things will get better!...And then worse...and then better...and then--AAAH! I gotta stop doing that! Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

**

* * *

**

**kristen89**

Mena: (waves) Hey, Kristy!

Toli: You're like our best friend because your reviews are so nice! Writer's Block sucks majorly, doesn't it? Fortunately the block was blasted for this story--finally!--and we can get back to reviewing! Lucky you that we updated Slain, since you like that one too! Don't forget to review that one as well! Hope you enjoy the chappie!

**

* * *

**

**SoulDreamer**

Mena: Thanks so much for reviewing! Your support is loved! We hope you enjoy the new chappie!

**

* * *

**

**Kit**

Mena: YAY! NICE ATEMU! It's awesome! I mean, who likes a mean Atemu? Come on! We love him being all nice! (receives glomp with huge grin)

Toli: Thanks for telling us about Bakura's name. We appreciate the free info. But we're gonna stick with Bakura, just because of we change his name now, we're gonna mix up everybody, and we'll end up calling Atemu "Ishizu" and Mia "Jou" and you'll say "When did Dartz get here?" But like we said, thanks! And hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

**

Mena: Ha! My little preview must have done something!

Jesselda: Besides lengthen the chapter?

Mena: (indignant) Hey!

Toli: (interrupts) Glad to see you all!

Mena: Sister, how come you made these chappies so long when you're planning to have, like, _25_ chaps in this story?

Toli: Because it makes my fingers hurt?

Jesselda: They don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. (sarcastic) And, of course, neither of them are famous for lying or anything...

**

* * *

**

**FIVE: Acquaintance With A Thief  
**(**three days later**)

Things had been pretty uneventful at the palace. Mia and Yugi had assumed their new duties. Mia healed exceptionally well, thanks to Ishizu's medicine and her own healthiness. Even the scars from the whip on her arms were hard to see unless you were standing right behind her and looking for them. Being a naturally attractive woman who happened to like makeup, Mia soon attracted the attention of many of the guys around the palace. Even some of the male officials who came to visit noticed her. She managed to keep her natural rebellion under control, but sometimes she just wanted to pick up something heavy and throw it at the guys who were staring at her almost every second.

Yugi healed quickly as well. He had taken up his new job as Atemu's personal servant, which seemed to irk Seto. Yugi was still painfully shy and nervous around people and liked to hide behind Atemu. If Ishizu was there, he'd hide behind her instead. Once he had fallen asleep at a council meeting he'd had to attend with Atemu, and when Nafato had yelled at him to wake up, he had woken up suddenly and accidentally hit Atemu in the face with his head. Atemu let Ishizu come and get Yugi out of there so he wouldn't have to hear Atemu yell at the old man and use several popular swear words.

Besides all that, it had been pretty uneventful. Mia and Yugi had adjusted considerably well to their new lifestyle, especially considering how little time it had been.

But that was before the next day.

* * *

Atemu frowned at the piece of papyrus he was reading. It was a challenge to a Shadow Game from an official he really did not like. The last seven challenges Atemu had received were from this same man, who for some reason needed to feel superior to the Pharaoh.

"What's wrong?" Atemu looked up to see Yugi next to him, looking curiously at him. _I must look kind of sour, _Atemu thought with little amusement.

"It's nothing, Yugi," Atemu said. _Nothing I can't handle, anyway. _"Ready for bed?"

Yugi nodded.

"All right," Atemu said. "I don't think there's anything left for you to do."

Yugi didn't need any more encouragement. He was tired. He walked over to his bed, which was pushed up against the left wall, parallel to Atemu's giant bed. He climbed in and flopped down on his side.

Atemu smiled as he watched Yugi. Even though there was still such a long way to go, Atemu was happy Yugi had come so far already. There was still hope for him. And, even though he didn't know it, Ishizu was saying the same thing about Atemu: _there's still hope for him._

Covering a yawn, Atemu put the challenge down and blew out the candle he was reading by. He changed into clothes for sleeping in and climbed into his own bed. He laid there, on his side, staring at the wall, waiting for sleep. Waiting...and waiting...and waiting some more. Maybe he wasn't as tired as he thought he was.

Then, suddenly, he found himself jerking awake. Had he actually fallen asleep? Apparently, and something had woken him up. Groggily, he sat up and rubbed an eye, looking around to find the one guilty of rousing him. It was dark, though, so he couldn't see anything except whatever lay in the dim rectangle of moonlight shining through the window.

_Maybe it's just my own inability to sleep, _Atemu decided. He grumbled to himself as he laid back down to try and go back to sleep, if he could.

Then, a sudden whimper made him shoot up in bed again. He looked around, confused. What was that? Nobody else was in here. Nobody...except--

Another whimper from the corner. Atemu rolled out of bed and got to his feet. He walked briskly to the corner, where Yugi's bed was. Tossing and turning in his bed, Yugi was whimpering audibly.

"Yugi?" Atemu sat down on Yugi's bed and tried to stop Yugi from thrashing around so much. But as soon as his hands touched Yugi's shoulders, the boy flinched away and tried to curl up into a ball. "I'm...s-sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, master. Please...please don't punish me!"

_Oh no, _Atemu thought in fear. _He's having a nightmare. _He tried again to stop Yugi from thrashing around. "Yugi, wake up! It's all right!"

Once again, Yugi pulled away from his hands. Tears streaming down his face sparkled in the moonlight. "I was only gone a minute, master. Please...I'm so sorry...I'll never do it again..."

_I have to wake him up, _Atemu thought in a panic. He grabbed Yugi's shoulders and turned the boy to face him. Yugi was crying hard, and he tried to pull himself out of Atemu's grip. Instead of relenting, Atemu pulled the younger boy into his lap. "Yugi, wake up. Please wake up."

Yugi placed his hands on Atemu's bare chest and tried to push him away. His eyes were still shut. Atemu refused to release him, feeling that he would never get through to the boy if they got farther away from each other. "Yugi, just open your eyes. It's only a dream. Open your eyes. _Please_."

Finally, Yugi stopped trying to push Atemu away and simply curled up again. He was shaking all over. His eyes opened suddenly, and they were filled with fear. He looked around wildly, as if expecting to see someone beside the Pharaoh.

"Yugi, it was only a dream," Atemu said. "You're safe here."

Yugi's eyes shifted back to Atemu's face. They were glistening with tears still waiting to fall. "A-Atemu?" he trembled.

Atemu nodded. "It's all right now," he said.

Yugi suddenly latched onto both of Atemu's arms and buried his face in the older boy's chest. "I thought...I thought I was still with my old master," he whimpered. "I had only gone to watch the sunset, and he was angry. He was going to punish me. I was trying to get him to have mercy on me, but...he wouldn't. And then...he grabbed me to try and take me away..." He dissolved into sobs.

Atemu tightened his hold on Yugi. "It's all right. He's gone, and he'll never be able to hurt you again," he swore.

Yugi was still shaking and crying. His grip on Atemu's arms tightened to the point where they might cut off the blood flow. "I'm scared," he whispered. "What of he isn't dead and he comes...to get me? He'll punish me because I left."

"He's gone forever, Yugi," Atemu said. "And even if he did come back, which he can't, he'd never be able to hurt you. He'd have to get through me."

They stayed there for a while. Finally, Yugi's sobs quieted and he stopped shaking. Atemu waited patiently until he heard the deep, even breaths that meant Yugi had fallen asleep again. Carefully, he laid Yugi back down and covered him up. One of Yugi's hands was still clutching Atemu's arm, and he carefully removed it and placed it down beside its owner. Yugi shifted and furrowed his eyebrows in his sleep. Atemu watched him until he turned on his side and continued sleeping.

* * *

Ishizu looked at the Pharaoh in amusement. He had his head down, hidden in his folded arms which were resting on the table. It was obvious he was asleep. Yugi was standing next to Atemu, staring off into space. He heard the door come open and turned abruptly, and then relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Miss Ishizu," he whispered, walking over to her. "I wasn't sure if I should wake him up." He looked down nervously. "I didn't want him to be angry..."

Ishizu felt a little bit of disappointment. He was still afraid of making people angry... "It is all right," she said. She extended her hand. "Come. You can watch _me_ wake him up."

Yugi took her offered hand with little hesitation. They walked together over to the sleeping Pharaoh's side.

"Atemu," Ishizu said, shaking the young ruler's shoulder. "Atemu!" She raised her voice only slightly.

Atemu grunted. "I told you, Seto, _I'm_ in charge," he grumbled.

Yugi watched Atemu in humorous confusion. Ishizu came close to rolling her eyes and shook his shoulder harder. "Atemu, wake up now. _Wake up_."

Atemu's head rose. "What time is it?" he grumbled, still half-asleep.

"It's still afternoon," Ishizu said. "You do not want to miss your council meeting, do you?" She wasn't smiling, but her eyes were sparkling with amusement.

Atemu groaned. "Oh, right, of course," he said sarcastically. His gaze fell on Yugi, who looked worried. "Is something the matter, Yugi?"

Yugi blinked and looked down at the floor for a second. "Oh, um...no, I don't think so, Atemu." He looked back up. "You looked angry, that's all."

"Don't worry," Atemu said. "I'm not. I can't get but so angry at Ishizu."

Yugi nodded, although he didn't look like he really believed the Pharaoh.

"Now, you had best be on your way, Atemu," Ishizu said.

"Oh. Right." Atemu stood up and stretched. "Ready to go, Yugi?"

Yugi nodded and followed him out the door. Ishizu watched them go, her face expressionless, but her eyes flashing with worry. _I have a feeling that many unfortunate events may occur before the two of them can fully understand one another. _

And, like always, she was right.

* * *

Tea was minding her own business when she slammed into someone. She caught herself before falling to the ground and reached out to help whoever she had run into.

It was Shizuka. Fortunately, she hadn't been carrying anything. "Oh, I'm sorry, Shizuka," Tea said, feeling even clumsier than usual. "Are you hurt?"

Shizuka refused to look up. "No, I'm okay," she said, keeping her head down and going past Tea.

"Wait!" Tea called. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, fine," Shizuka answered before running for the safety of the next corner. She leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Tea walk away. She was always nervous around people. She, like Yugi, had had a bad master before she was sold to the Pharaoh a year ago. To her delight, she discovered her brother Jou was here also, and he became her only friend. She was too scared of everyone else to let them near her.

Except for Yugi. He seemed to have been in the same predicament she had been in, except for he'd had his protector with him. She was curious about him and found herself wanting to see him again. He seemed like a safe enough person. But besides him and Jou, she was afraid of everyone. She always had her hair hidden under something because she had learned a long time ago that her unusual hair color made men stare at her all the time, and she didn't like being stared at. It made her fidget and stammer.

Suddenly, she heard steps coming towards her and she tensed. She kept her back against the wall as if she could sink into it and not be seen. She held her breath as the footsteps stopped right next to her.

"This is the Pharaoh's meeting room, is it not?" an unfamiliar voice asked her.

Shizuka was afraid of new people. She forced herself to look at the ground. "Y-Yes, sir, it is," she said bravely.

"Huh," the voice said. "I need to have a word with the Pharaoh."

"He's in a meeting. No one is allowed--to interrupt it," Shizuka said, stilltrying to be brave.

"Well, _I _can. You can watch me bust right through these doors."

"No!" Shizuka burst out without meaning to. Her head came up, and she saw the unfamiliar man. He had white hair and menacing brown eyes. He looked--and smelled--like he had just been outside. "You'll regret it," she said, surprised at herself for such daring. "Let me--let me just tell them you're coming," she added as she backed towards the double doors.

The man gave her an evil-looking smile. "You do that then, dear," he said. "All the better."

* * *

Yugi wished that he could go back to Atemu's room and go to sleep. This old man was boring him to death. He didn't dare ask Atemu for permission to leave, though; he wasn't sure if that was the best idea. So he simply suffered through it.

The ten heads of the people in the room--the nine falling asleep and the one putting them all to sleep--turned to the door in surprise when it opened. Shizuka's head peeked around it, and she looked positively terrified.

"I sincerely apologize for interrupting the meeting, Your Highness," she said, making what looked like a bow, "but there's someone out here who wishes to speak with you." Then she was gone so fast it was like she had disappeared.

Above Yugi, in his chair, Atemu grumbled as he sat up a little more. "Who the hell decided to get a prison sentence and wants to talk?" he said. He just wanted the meeting to be over with, no interruptions making it longer. His eyes widened when he saw who came sauntering through the door like _he_ was the Pharaoh.

"Good afternoon, Pharaoh," the intruder said with a mock bow. "I trust you're still ruining people's lives as usual?"

Atemu stood up. "Bakura," he snarled. "How dare you show your face in _my_ palace after what you've done?"

Seto stood up as well. Yugi was well hidden behind the both of their capes. He was a little afraid of the newcomer, but something seemed familiar about him. He watched from behind Atemu's and Seto's capes.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything," Bakura said, gesturing towards the stunned council members. "I just felt like coming to see you."

"You want something, thief. What is it?" Atemu snarled. Yugi shuddered at his venomous tone. _If I ever made him angry, he would probably speak like that to me... _he thought fearfully. It was bad enough having to hear him like that, but if that tone was ever directed at him...Yugi shivered at the thought.

Bakura sneered at the Pharaoh. "I can't pay you a visit anymore? Surely my appearance doesn't automatically mean there's something I desire."

"Don't play games with me," Atemu snapped. "You stole everything out of my father's tomb except for his body. I'm not in the mood to humor your sarcasm."

The jesting look slid off of Bakura's face. "You know me well, Pharaoh. It's all that I'm usually after--gold, jewels, valuable items. I am planning to raid the palace and thought you would appreciate a forewarning."

"Don't lie," Atemu said, glaring daggers at the white-haired thief. "You just want to try and pull it off, even with me knowing beforehand, and gloat about it afterwards. Well, let me assure you: you won't succeed."

"Pompous Pharaoh," Bakura sneered. "I knew you'd say something like that. It will delight me enormously to think of what your face looks like tomorrow morning." He turned towards the door. "And by the way, don't bother sending guards after me. I'll find my own way out." He left.

Atemu's clenched fist hit the table in front of him. "That thief is a damn pest," he growled. He half-glared at his council members, who shrank back in unison. "This meeting is over. Send orders that guards are to be posted at every entrance to the palace tonight. Let's go Seto, Yugi." He turned. "Yugi?"

Seto turned as well. "Wonder wherethe hell he ran off to," he said casually.

* * *

Bakura emerged into the sunlight. There was no one around. He walked over to his horse, which was waiting patiently. His mind was dancing with plans for invading the palace. He hadn't made specifics, but he planned to steal some of the Pharaoh's own jewelry. Not only would it be an exciting challenge, it would feel good. He stood next to his horse, preparing to mount.

"Bakura?"

Bakura felt a flash of irritation. Who dared use his name without his permission? He turned to find a boy who beared a strong resemblance to the Pharaoh, minus all the arrogance and glaring eyes. He was dressed in servant's attire. "What do you want?" he asked.

The boy blinked and then ducked his head, looking shy. "D-Do you remember, when I met you in Tameth's marketplace?" he asked, looking back up.

"What?" Bakura narrowed his eyes, and then a flash of familiarity crossed his mind. "Hmmm. Now that you mention it, I believe I do." A smug smirk crossed his face. "You're that little boy who was so enthralled with my profession, aren't you?"

The boy nodded. Bakura studied him. Now that he remembered, it was strange how much happier the boy had looked back then. "So, you've been drafted into the Pharaoh's service, I see."

The boy nodded again. "I didn't really have a choice," he said. "I was a slave to the leader of a band of raiders. Their caravan was on the way to the palace when it burned down, and Mia and I were the only survivors. We were brought to the palace and enlisted as servants."

"Who's Mia?" Bakura wanted to know.

Yugi looked down. "My friend."

Bakura grunted. "Sounds like your life has taken a down turn since the last time we met. What happened to your family?"

"They--they were killed," the boy said in a voice barely above a whisper. He tried to control his trembling and his tears.

Bakura watched him. Even though he was a refined, merciless thief, he couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for the boy. "Hey," he said in a softer voice, "you shouldn't stay here."

"Where can I go?" the boy said. "I don't even really know where I am _now_, and besides--" his voice dropped to a whisper "--I don't want to make the Pharaoh angry."

Bakura knelt down so he could look the boy in the eye. "Tell me, what's your name?" he asked.

"Yugi."

"Well, Yugi, I have a proposition for you, and trust me, I don't make many of those. Why don't you come with me?" Yugi's head snapped up to stare at him. "Maybe I am an outlaw, but besides that, my life is fine, and I've never been caught. You ought to consider it."

Yugi looked a little afraid. "Well...I don't know..."

"Yugi!"

Yugi visibly flinched. Bakura stood up and saw the Pharaoh stalking towards them. A sneer appeared. "Come to see me off, Pharaoh?" He swung up on his horse and looked down at Yugi, who was watching him. "My offer still stands," he said before turning and riding off at a rather breakneck speed.

_Funny, _Bakura thought as he rode off, _I've seriously injured I don't know how many people in the span of my career, and their pleas never even fazed me. Why do I even give a damn about that boy? _He smiled slightly to himself. _Maybe because we first met on such terms. After all, being adored is something everyone wants. _

Yugi watched him go and listened to Atemu's footsteps coming up behind him. Slowly, almost dreadfully, he turned.

Atemu was behind him, and Seto and Ishizu were on their way over. Atemu looked angry, and Yugi couldn't help but flinch again.

"Why was he talking to you?" Atemu demanded in a sharp tone.

Yugi looked down. He didn't know what to say. Atemu would probably be even angrier if he knew they were acquaintances.

"What offer did he make to you?" Atemu went on. Yugi was afraid to answer that, too.

"Yugi!" Yugi felt hands seize his shoulders and had the vague impression of being shaken gently. "Answer me!"

Tears filled Yugi's eyes as he started to tremble under Atemu's hands.

"Atemu!" Ishizu barked, her voice cutting through the tension. Yugi looked up and saw her glaring at Atemu. Seto, right behind her, looked sour. On impulse, Yugi freed himself from the Pharaoh's grip and ran to hide behind Ishizu. He buried his face in the side of her skirt.

There was a small silence. Then the Pharaoh spoke. "Ishizu, I--"

"We'll talk about this later, my Pharaoh," Ishizu said in a clipped tone.(NFT: Remember, she only uses his title when she's mad at him) She wrapped an arm around Yugi's shoulders and guided him back to the palace. "Come, Yugi, let's go back to the recovery room."

* * *

"Hey, ladies," Hiroto said with a suggestive grin.

There were giggles from the small group of female servants passing by him with piles of folded clothes in their arms. "Hi, Hiroto," most of them said back with eye bats or little finger waves.

Jou rolled his eyes. "What is it with you and flirtin', huh?"

"I can't help it," Hiroto said. "The girls adore me. I have to meet their expectations." His grin grew bigger. "Actually, I've had my eye on that new servant girl. She's really good looking, wouldn't you say?"

Jou tried to hide his blush. "Yeah, she's all right," he agreed, looking over at the group of girls. Mia was with them, talking to Tea. _She's more than all right. She's really pretty, and she seems so smart and so tough...even though she hit me, that makes her seem even better. That Yugi kid is real lucky, whether he knows it or not. _

Hiroto eyed his younger charge. "Jou, you got a thing for Mia?" he asked.

"What?! No!" Jou exclaimed angrily, though his face got redder. " 'Course not! That's ridiculous!"

Hiroto held up his hand. "Hey, just asking," he said with a knowing smile. "No need to get all offensive, man."

"Whatever." Jou stared after the girls. He couldn't help it; Mia was pretty even from the back. He was surprised when she took a look over her shoulder and saw him ogling her. With a sly grin, she flipped her curling blond hair over her shoulder and gave him a wink. She nearly melted him into a puddle. The girls walking with her giggled when they saw her stunt and Jou's reaction.

Hiroto was laughing. "Man, you are so transparent," he said teasingly.

Jou glared at him.

* * *

Seto paced. In front of him, Atemu sat on his bed and watched him with an unreadable expression. After a while, Seto sighed and plopped himself on the bed facing his cousin. "Atemu, see, _this _is why I thought having him around was a bad idea. You've got to talk softly. You can't make sudden movements. You can't touch him. You can't raise your voice. He's too much damn maintenance for a servant!"

"What do you want me to do with him," Atemu asked in a quiet voice. "Sell him to someone so he can be beaten mercilessly again? And so he can be separated from his only friend?"

"Give him a job that keeps him away from you," Seto stated. "This isn't something you need to be dealing with. You're going to have a Shadow Duel in a few days, not to mention the looming threat of that thief Bakura, and you still have our regular duties. The last thing you need to worry about is him."

"Well, it's a little late for that!" Atemu snapped, his eyes flashing. "I've already gotten into this, and I don't plan to back out."

"You aren't ready for this kind of commitment," Seto insisted, "and you probably never will be. Just think about what happened today. It's easy for you to lose your temper like you did. Yugi had information you wanted, and you wanted to hear it. As a result, he got all emotional again. There's no way you can do this. Damn it, Atemu, I'm telling you, just--"

"_Don't tell me what to do_!!"

Seto blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. Atemu glared at him, breathing hard. "Just," he said, taking a calming breath, "get out. _Now_."

Seto glared back. "Fine," he spat. He stormed from the room.

Atemu watched him go. He crossed his arms. He was feeling guilty enough for how he had treated Yugi; he didn't need Seto rubbing it in. He glanced over at Yugi's empty bed. _Maybe...maybe Seto is right, _he thought. _Maybe I'm not ready for something like this._

**END CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

Atemu/Yami  
Hiroto/Honda/Tristan Taylor  
Jou/Jounouchi/Joey Wheeler  
Mia/Mai Valentine  
Bakura/the yami

Mena: Wow. Writer's Block really has an effect, doesn't it?

Toli: (coughs) I guess so. I'llhave tomake to make next chapter extra-long.

Jesselda: Don't go making those kinds of promises. You don't know if you can keep them.

Toli: (nods) You're right. We'll have to do what we can. Are you going to give another preview, Mena?

Mena: (nods happily) Yup. So, coming up! A shocking discovery is made about Mia...Atemu tries to win Yugi back over...and something awful happens in the palace! You don't wanna miss it, trust me!

Jesselda: Hikari, why are you so cheerful?

Mena: I dunno. I just am! See you next time!


	6. Attack In The Palace

**RESPONSES**

**

* * *

Phoenix 727**

Toli: Hmmm...

Mena: O.o;

Toli: Just kiddin' you, sis! Anyway, hey guys! Thanks for another super-long review!

Mena: Phoenix, it's not the guards' fault that Bakura got to the Pharaoh. He's a wily thief. He's used to sneaking past even the most alert guards, so there wasn't much they could've done anyway.

Toli: About the Mana and Mahado stuff...they probably won't be in here, just because Mena and I have not seen any/enough episodes with them in it to properly assess their personalities. And, nope, you won't see any ka, mainly because we don't even know what that is. We're sorely lacking in the Ancient Egypt Knowledge department; we're just going on what we actually learned in school, what other people know, and our own wild guesses.

Mena: It's going pretty well considering! Oh, and you guys asked about pairings. Dangit, we're gonna have to start putting that kind of information in the first chappie of our stories. But since you asked, there will probably be some sidenote Jou/Mai, possibly a touch of one-sided Tea/Jou, and...well, that's it. Nobody else deserves someone to love.

Toli: Yeah, since this story isn't going to be Yaoi, there won't be any Yugi/Atemu, so, yeah, what Mena said. Anyway, thanks again for the review and hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**Masami, Mistress Of Fire**

Toli: Masami! (hugs Masami) Friend! Amiga! Pal! Kashny!

Mena: (is reading other reviews from Masami and Damion)

Toli: Yep, I got plenty of bombs just lying...all over...the place...probably the main reason why we never use the gas stove. Oh well! I nuclearize my food! Oh, yeah! (picks up Mani from a random spot near a nuke and sits her on her lap) Say hi, Mani!

Mani: (waves happily) Hi, Masami!

Toli: (grins) Adorable, no? (drops Mani) So anyway...(notices distressed look on Mena's face) What's the problem, Mena?

Mena: (points to other review in horror) TOLI! (tears) DAMIE-CHA--DAMION SAYS HE DISLIKES ME! HE'S GOING TO USE MASAMI'S NONEXISTENT TIES TO THE CANADIAN MAFIA TO COME AFTER ME! (sobs uncontrollably and flings herself into Toli's arms) WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DARK-HAIRED KOI?!?!

Toli: (reads review) Oh, dear. Poor Mena. She believes everything she reads. Best not pull a stunt like that again, Damion. Jesselda may not really like Mena as a hikari, but she'll chase after anyone who makes her cry. It's a fact. I know from experience. Anyway, seeya later!

**

* * *

**

**kristen89**

Toli: Yeah, isn't Yugi just the most adorable character--oh, I'm getting off track. Yeah, Atemu can't seem to get it right with Yugi. It seems more realistic that a bunch of stuff would happen to try and shatter Yugi's trust than that he would just start trusting Atemu and never stop, doesn't it?

Mena: And we read your other review, too! Thanks so much for all the support!

**

* * *

**

**cwthewolf**

Mena: Sure, why not? Since you asked so nicely and all! Hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

**Mena: One, two, three, four...hey, only twelve days! Not bad considering you've got Writer's Block, Toli! 

Toli: (weak smile) I guess.

Jesselda: And considering you're in school again.

Toli: Yeaaahhh...but still, I wish we could've posted the next chapter sooner. I don't like keeping people in suspense for _so_ long.

Mena: (puts an arm around Toli's shoulders) It's not so bad, sister. We did the best we could. Hey, Jez, do our disclaimer, would you?

Jesselda: Yeah, yeah. If you remember what WDOY stands for, great. If you don't, too bad.

**

* * *

**Tameth--made up place 

Anzu and Tea--two different people

Keep this stuff in mind.

**

* * *

**

**SIX: Attack In The Palace**

Yugi stirred slightly and found himself back in the realm of the awake. He opened his eyes and stifled a yawn. Then he heard voices coming from behind him, and he instinctively tensed.

"Please, I just want to see him." It was the Pharaoh.

"Atemu, I must object. After what happened this afternoon, I'm afraid you seeing him is the last thing he needs."

"Then how can I apologize?"

There was a small silence. "He's asleep now. You'll have to come back later."

A sigh, probably from Atemu. "All right. But let me know as soon as he wakes up." There were footsteps leading away. Then another sigh, and the quiet sound of a door gently being closed. Yugi sat up as Miss Ishizu was coming towards his bed.

"I see you're awake," Miss Ishizu said with a soft smile. "Did you enjoy your rest?"

Yugi nodded, noticing that it was getting darker outside. "Was that the Pharaoh who just left?" he asked.

Miss Ishizu nodded. "He wished to speak with you."

"Oh." Yugi looked down at his lap. "I-I didn't want to tell him about Bakura because...I didn't know what to say," he admitted.

Ishizu sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled him towards her. She wrapped an arm around him as he leaned against her. "Would you care to tell _me_?"

Yugi considered. "Well...okay," he finally agreed. "You see...I've already met Bakura once. When I was little. My family was in Tameth's marketplace, and I got separated from my mom for a little while. I ran into him on the way back to her. He seemed nice enough. And then I saw him again today, and I just wanted to talk to him." He scratched his nose.

"I see," Miss Ishizu said. She didn't sound angry with him. "And what did he offer you?"

Yugi was silent for a moment. Finally he spoke. "He...offered to let me come with him. I guess he felt sorry for me and he said he'd let me leave with him. I didn't get to say yes or no before the Pharaoh showed up."

"And what would you have said?"

Yugi sighed and closed his eyes. "I don't know."

"Hmm." Yugi listened carefully for any signs of anger or resentment from her for talking to a thief the Pharaoh hated so much. But instead she abruptly changed the subject. "Would you like to see Mia again today?"

Yugi nodded. "That would be nice."

* * *

Mia, summoned by Jou, met Yugi and Ishizu in the hallway that led off to the recovery rooms. "Yugi," Mia said as Yugi happily ran into her arms, "you look great, kiddo." 

"You do too," Yugi said. Her smiling face and arms were healed of all injuries from that fateful first day, and with a little makeup on, she looked pretty as ever. Even the sleeveless servant's uniform accentuated her slender figure.

Mia was down on her knees to be closer to Yugi's level. "Are you okay?" she asked, suddenly noticing the look of slight fear in his eyes that he couldn't conceal.

Yugi looked down. "Yes, I guess I am," he said, but he didn't seem too sure about it. He suddenly looked up and said, "I saw Bakura today and I just wanted to talk to him, but I think it made the Pharaoh angry. He wanted to know what we talked about and he got angry and yelled at me and shook me."

Mia felt anger flare up in her and could barely keep it out of her face and tone. "He did?" she said. "Has he talked to you since?"

Yugi shook his head.

Mia hugged him again. "It's okay," she said. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," Yugi said into her hair, which smelled like flowers.

"Then it'll be okay. How hard did he shake you?"

Yugi couldn't help but flinch at the thought of having to dredge up that memory. "N-Not...too hard," he admitted. "It didn't rattle me, but...he still looked angry when he did it." He opened his eyes and saw Atemu, standing a few feet behind them, watching. He tensed, and Mia turned to see why. Her eyes narrowed when she saw why.

"Atemu," Ishizu stated quietly from the other side of them.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No, sir," Mia forced herself to say. "I was just getting back to my work." She heard a tinge of anger in her voice that she couldn't keep down. She hugged Yugi again. "Ishizu won't let him hurt you," she whispered in his ear. From what she had seen of the woman, she cared about Yugi's well-being and could even stop the Pharaoh in his tracks. Mia was temporarily giving the job of Yugi's protector to her.

(**NFT**: P.O.V. switch)

Yugi watched as Mia left. Now there was no one between him and Atemu. He didn't _look _angry, but Yugi couldn't be sure. Atemu stepped forward, and Yugi, out of habit, backed away and hid behind Ishizu.

Atemu walked up to Ishizu and Yugi. Ishizu watched the young Pharaoh with scrutinizing eyes. Yugi pulled himself further behind Ishizu.

"I just want to speak with him," Atemu said to Ishizu. Ishizu watched him for a moment longer, then nodded and stepped aside. Yugi looked panicked when his human shield vacated the space in front of him, and he settled for clutching Ishizu's arm.

Atemu knelt down in front of Yugi, who had his face pointed at the ground and his eyes closed and one fist over his mouth. (**NFM**: A very kawaii pose!** NFT**: Shut up and let me continue! **NFM**:Sooo-RY) "Yugi?" he said softly.

Yugi didn't respond.

"Yugi, please look at me."

Very slowly, Yugi opened his eyes and looked up at Atemu. He let his hand drop from his mouth, and Atemu caught it before it finished its descent. "Yugi, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you, and I'm sorry I shook you. I was only afraid that that damn thief might be doing something bad to you, but the way I acted was completely inexcusable. Please, if you can, I beg for your forgiveness." Above them both, Ishizu was looking on with an approving smile.

Yugi looked at Atemu. His hand trembled slightly in Atemu's grip and then lay still. "...O-Okay," he said faintly.

Atemu smiled in relief. "So, you forgive me?"

Yugi looked down again. Then he nodded. Suddenly he rushed forward and hugged the Pharaoh. Atemu was unprepared and nearly fell on his butt. "I'm sorry I never told you," Yugi was saying into Atemu's shoulder, tears starting to form. "I was afraid of what you would think, especially after what happened in the meeting. I didn't want to make you more angry at me."

"It's okay, Yugi," Atemu said, wrapping his arms around Yugi's trembling form. "I wasn't angry at you." He stood up, lifting Yugi with him, and Yugi's arms tightened around the Pharaoh's neck. "Thank you, Ishizu," Atemu said.

Ishizu nodded and smiled in return as Atemu went down the hall with Yugi in his arms. Then she frowned. _If only there was some way they could escape the darkness coming to close in on them. It will be painful and harsh for all involved. Yet, if the darkness did not come, I have a feeling they would never become as close as they are destined to be. _She sighed and placed a hand on her throat as she watched them. _As it is said, what does not kill makes the body stronger, but it still hurts on the way._

* * *

By the time Atemu had made it back to his room, Yugi had fallen asleep. Atemu smiled as he walked over to his own ridiculously large bed. He could feel Yugi's breath blowing down his back. 

Sitting down with Yugi in his lap, Atemu sighed as he thought back to what the boy had said. _I didn't want to make you more angry at me. _He was still so afraid of angering someone. There must have been some pretty harsh repercussions for doing so back with the raiders.

Speaking of the raiders...Atemu had been wondering for a little while now what exactly had happened. How had the raiders' caravan burned down? Things don't just spontaneously combust in the desert. "Maybe someone had accidentally started the fire," Atemu thought out loud. "But who?"

Atemu was so occupied with this that when he felt Yugi shaking underneath him he was startled. He looked down to find that Yugi had his hands over his face and was shaking terribly. _He must be having another nightmare, _Atemu thought. He felt angry. Couldn't the poor boy even take an afternoon nap without his sleep being plagued by dreams of the past?

_I'll have to get him to wake up, _Atemu decided. He was about to think up an idea when Yugi suddenly spoke.

"A-Atemu," he whispered, sounding like he was crying. And he was. "I...I know how the fire started."

Atemu looked down in surprise. Apparently Yugi hadn't been asleep. "Who?" he asked.

"If-if I tell you, you have to promise not to get angry," Yugi said.

"Of course I won't," Atemu assured him.

There was a loud sniff from behind Yugi's hands, and then he lowered them and leaned his head on Atemu's chest. "W-Well, at first, we weren't going to do anything, except our jobs. But then I said something that started the whole thing..."

(_Flashback_)

"How does that feel?" Mia asked.

"A little better," Yugi mumbled into the makeshift pillow. "But it still hurts."

"Unfortunately the pain's going to last longer than usual," Mia said. Yugi detected anger in her tone. "I hate that man. All you did was break a stupid jug! You didn't deserve the punishment he gave you!"

"There's nothing we can do about it," Yugi said, lifting his face out of the pillow and resting his cheek on it. "We're only slaves and we have no say." He felt tears welling up again.

Mia didn't say anything. Finally she laid down on the ground beside Yugi, facing him, her head propped up on her hand. "Well I say it's about time we _had_ a say," she said.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

"What I'm talking about is--" Mia lowered her voice so as not to be heard "--doing something about the raiders. Permanently."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Like what?" he whispered.

Mia considered. Then she brightened. "I say we burn this stinking camp down. Then we can escape in the confusion."

"But what about--" Yugi stopped before saying "the other slaves." There _weren't _any other slaves any more. The few others had either died or committed suicide. "How?" he finally asked. 'Where will we get fire?"

"I have an idea," Mia said. "Don't worry. I'll get the fire. You just make sure you're anywhere except in this tent this evening."

(_End flashback_)

"That evening Mia got the camp burnt down," Yugi sniffled. "My old master was in the middle of giving me a punishment, and she came and had to save me. We tried to escape, but...the fire had already spread, and we couldn't find a way out. We had to hide." He put his face in his hands again. "It's all my fault that they all died. If I hadn't said anything, Mia never would have thought about burning the camp. I...I don't like death."

"Oh, Yugi," Atemu breathed. He tightened his hold on the younger boy. "I wouldn't be angry at you about that. I'm just surprised I didn't think of it sooner. I don't like death either, little one--but sometimes it's necessary. You don't have to be afraid of angering me."

Yugi looked up at him. His eyes were watery and, if possible, larger than normal. He looked so innocently adorable. "I don't?" he asked.

Atemu shook his head and smiled. "No, you don't. There's no reason to fear any of us. Things are different now, and it's okay to trust people."

Yugi looked undecided. He watched Atemu. "I--I want to believe you, but..." He looked down, as if ashamed. "I could never really trust anybody." He looked up, as if to plead his case. "Ever since I lost my family, I haven't been able to trust anybody but Mia. There've been people who said I could trust them, but they went back on their word and they hurt me. And there was...there was..." His tears overflowed and trickled down his cheeks. "There was somebody else..." He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing out more tears, and buried his face in Atemu's chest. Atemu rubbed his back soothingly. He was surprised when he felt trembling arms wrap around his waist.

"His name was Perin," Yugi said in a weak voice. "He wanted to marry my mother. I didn't trust him, though. He said I had nothing to fear, that he had our best interests at heart." In the midst of his trembling, he managed to flinch as well. "He was setting us up. He was the leader of a band of raiders--a different one--and they killed my mother and my sister." He suppressed a shuddering whine. "He sold me off to a slave dealer later."

"Oh, Yugi," Atemu breathed again, unsure of what else to say. No wonder the boy was so afraid of trusting people. He didn't know what to do, so he simply held the now crying Yugi and slowly rocked back and forth. After a while, Yugi finally calmed down, and soon he was asleep for real. Atemu laid the boy down on his own giant bed and covered him up, carefully brushing some of the boy's blond bangs out of his face. _He looks so adorable when he's asleep, _Atemu thought.

"Atemu?"

Atemu looked up and saw Ishizu standing in the doorway. She had a scroll in one hand. Atemu stood up and went to her. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice, not wanting to wake Yugi.

Ishizu saw Yugi asleep in Atemu's bed and smiled briefly. Then she turned serious again and handed Atemu the scroll. "A letter from the thief," she said. "He says he has changed the date of his invasion of your palace. He's coming in a week."

**THREE DAYS LATER**

Yugi's eyes opened to the new day. He yawned and sat up in his bed. It looked bright--the sun must have come up early. Then, glancing around, he realized that it simply must be later in the day than he was used to getting up.

_I wonder why Atemu didn't wake me up? _Yugi thought as he rolled out of bed. He bathed and dressed and decided to go find the Pharaoh. He didn't know that Atemu was in the middle of a Shadow Game with that pesky important official, so off he went.

The palace seemed a lot bigger and a lot more intimidating to Yugi without Miss Ishizu or Atemu with him. He tried to think of where Atemu could be. _Not in the council meeting place; I would be with him for that. Maybe he went to the bathroom...but I don't know where he does that. I hope I can find him. _But in searching for the Pharaoh, Yugi found himself hopelessly lost in a maze of unfamiliar corridors and hallways.

Yugi stopped to rest and leaned against a wall, not liking the silence. "It's like there's no one around anymore," Yugi thought aloud. He shivered, suddenly cold. He pushed himself away from the wall and ran down the hall, turning a corner sharply. Before he knew it, he had slammed into something hard and fallen to the floor.

"Ow! Hey--why dontcha watch where you're going, you runt?"

"I-I'm sorry," Yugi stammered, slowly rising to his feet as he saw the unfamiliar man in front of him, glaring menacingly. "I didn't--see you."

"Didn't see me, huh?" the man said, still glaring. "Well, I bet you'll see this!" Before Yugi could even wonder what he meant, a large fist came at his face and sent him flying into the wall. He hit and slid to the ground, his hands automatically going over his face.

"Stupid little brat," the man was saying as he stalked over to Yugi. "This'll teach ya!" He grabbed the front of Yugi's shirt and hoisted him into the air. Yugi kept his hands over his face so he wouldn't have to see the man, tears already running down his cheeks. He tried to wiggle out of the iron grip, but to no avail.

Yugi was jerked forward, and then shoved back. He felt something hard hit his shoulders and back and clenched his teeth as pain showed up. "Hey--look at me, you dumb slave!" Yugi felt his hands get gripped in a painful hold and snatched from his face. The man threw Yugi towards a different wall, and the poor boy hit it with his back, collapsing to the floor in an instant. He could hear the man coming towards him. "I'll teach you to run into me!"

_Please, _Yugi thought as his tears turned into sobs, _just let this be over soon. _

"Hey, you! Back off!"

* * *

Instinct kicked in. The first one was _kill him NOW, in a very painful way. _Mia balled up her fist and punched the man in his face. He stumbled backwards, a hand over his nose. "Why, you little b--!" 

He never got to finish the thought, for Mia had come charging at him and punched him again. He fell to his knees, giving her the perfect opportunity to kick him in the stomach and knock him over.

The element of surprise was gone. The man got back to his feet and clenched his fists. His nose was bleeding and looked oddly flat. "You're gonna wish you hadn't done that, you wench," he growled. He lunged at her, huge fists up. At the last second, Mia ducked under his attack and lunged herself. She ran into his already sore stomach and tackled him to the ground. She rolled off him quickly and jumped to her feet, now standing between Yugi's form on the floor and the man rising back to his feet.

The man grunted as he wiped his nose. He raised his fists again.

"Enough!"

The man froze and turned. Behind them stood the Pharaoh, looking very imposing. The Millennium Puzzle was around his neck. He had just returned from the Shadow Game and had stumbled upon the scene. Ishizu stood behind him. Both of them had glares directed at the man, but Atemu's was the scarier one by far.

"What do you think you're doing?" Atemu said to the man in a dangerous voice.

The man fell to his knees immediately. "M-My Pharaoh, I'm sorry. I didn't think--"

"You never think," Atemu snapped. He stalked forward and loomed over the man. "If I ever see you so much as _breathe_ on either one of them again, you will find yourself in prison awaiting your execution," he growled. "Now _get out of my sight_."

The man scrambled to his feet and stumbled away, one hand over his nose and the other over his stomach. Atemu closed his eyes and sighed, then he turned to where Yugi was lying on the floor. Mia was knelt down next to him, her hands hovering over his body, and her head bent, hair falling in her face. She slowly scooted backwards.

Atemu could sense that something was up as he came over. "What is it? What's wrong with Yugi?"

Mia looked up. Her eyes were filled with tears. "He-he doesn't want me to touch him," she said in a dead tone. "He doesn't recognize my voice."

Atemu's eyes widened, and Ishizu put a hand to her mouth.

**END CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

Mena: Another cliffie?

Toli: Yep!

Mena: Oh.

Jesselda: Are you sure that's wise? It seems like every other chapter is a cliffhanger.

Toli: Don't sweat it!

Mena: Oooh! I can do another preview! Coming up! The process of unlocking Yugi's shell starts all over again, AGAIN, and the first part of the main plot comes into play! You don't wanna miss it!

Toli: Read and review and we'll seeya next time!


	7. The First Trial

**RESPONSES

* * *

**

**Shebythedogdemoness**

Toli: Hey guys! Welcome to the fic!

Mena: Poor Yugi. I feel so bad for him. (sighs) ...Oh well! The show must go on!

Toli: If only they could have a miracle to make everything better! But if they did that, we'd only have one more chapter, now wouldn't we?

Mena: Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**Phoenix727**

Mena: Okay, I think I get the ka thing now. Damn, too much mysterious stuff if you ask me. I think we'll keep it simple and leave the ka out.

Toli: (nods) Indeed. About Shizuka/Yugi...would you believe I never even thought of that? (smacks forehead with hand) It never even crossed my mind!

Mena: Now that you know, what do you think about putting some in?

Toli: Hmm. Yeah, why not, just a little. You can write all of that, right?

Mena: Yes I can! And about Yaoi, Toli hates almost all romance anyway, and I like most romance, but no, we have no plans of writing any Yaoi stories. I can read it, I just...don't...like it.

Toli: So why do you read it?

Mena: (shrugs)

Toli: If we even write a story that's mainly about romance you can consider it a miracle. Nope, no Mia/Yugi, they're like brother and sister. Besides, Jou's getting Mia. Remember? And, besides the fact that Shadow Phoenix is holding a knife over your head, I think your dread is coming from the things we have in store for poor little Yugi...

Mena: We really like Mia in this story too. It's kinda fun to imagine Mai punching the lights out of some evil guy, isn't it?

Toli: Anyway, thanks for the super-long review! We appreciate the whooole thing!

* * *

**i love athrun**

Mena: If you insist!

Toli: Welcome, thanks for reviewing, and here you go!

* * *

**Ksaturn**

Mena: (bows) Thank you for the compliments.

Toli: We read your new chapter in HellBreaking. We haven't reviewed yet, sorry. But we liked it! It looks quite interesting. Hope you update that, by the way.

Mena: Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**Soul Dreamer**

Mena: Isn't it AWFUL?

Toli: Yes, but unfortunately, this isn't the worst it's going to get! Stay tuned to see what we mean!

* * *

**Masami, Mistress Of Fire**

Toli: Masami! Hi! (hugs Masami) Wait...where's Mani?

Mani: (appears) Masami's here! (hugs Masami's waist) HIII, MASAMI!

Toli: Isn't she the most kawaii thing?

Mena: Damie-chan! (glomps Damion) I missed you! Again!

Toli: I don't see why, the way you were kissing your Damie-chan plushie last night.

Mena: (glares) I was dreaming about my Damie-chan, for your information!

Mani: OOOO! Joey! (hugs Joey) Hi, Joey!

Mena: OOOO, cookie! (grabs cookie and stuffs it in her face)

Toli: O.O (sweatdrop) She must be being sweets deprived by Jesselda again...

Mani: I LOVE THE YUGI-CHAN PLUSHIE, MASAMI!

Toli: O.O (bigger sweatdrop) Now I see why Mena has had no sugar...Mani must have gotten it first...

Mena: You got any more cookies?

Mani: CAN MASAMI BE MY TWIN?

Toli: We'd better get to the update, Masami!

Mena: I love you, Damie-chan my hot huggable...um...can't think of a cover...good thing Mani was over there screaming in the corner; she didn't hear it! Okay, then, my hot huggable koi! See you after the chappie, okay? (winks conspiratorially)

Toli: (biggest sweatdrop) You know, it's a good thing Mani doesn't understand what that wink was for...

* * *

**kristen89**

Toli: Yep, another cliffie! Wow, I'm evil!

Mena: Um...yeah.

Toli: Hey! Don't you know the Rules of Proper Conduct Around Author(esse)s? Rule Number 247 clearly says "No poking the author(ess) with a stick"! You rule breaker!

Mena: But thanks for reviewing anyway!

* * *

**Flame31**

Toli: Hey and welcome!

Mena: We decided to switch Mai's name to Mia in the story. We think it sounds better. Sorry if it confused you, though!

Toli: I hate typos. They seem to randomly pop up out of nowhere. The main problem is this keyboard is really old and sometimes the keys get stuck, so you miss a letter. We try to catch them all, though.

Mena: Thanks for reviewing and hope you stick around!

* * *

**YamiYugimoto92**

Mena: Yay! So happy you decided to join us!

Toli: We're so glad you like how we write. Hey, we aim to please!

Mena: Thanks for all the cool compliments!

Toli: Enjoy the next series of twists!

* * *

**Naidi the Elf**

Mena: Hey! Glad you've joined us!

Toli: Here's an update like requested! And what's up with Yugi? Read on to find out!

Mena: Another cliffie? Lemme check...(scrolls down to bottom, then back up) Nope, not really! Enjoy!

* * *

Mena: I feel awful for Yugi. It's like, his shell is like open, close, open, close, open, close-Atemu's gotta be more careful! 

Jesselda: You love this back and forth, don't you, Toli?

Toli: (nods) Yeah. Adds to the suspense.

Mena: (singsong) Oh, Jezzeeee, it's disclaimer tiiime.

Jesselda: (sighs) They don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Why must _I _be employed to repeat this stupid phrase?

Toli: Because neither of us want to do it!

Jesselda:(sweatdrop) _Great _reason.

* * *

**Warning! READ! **It has been discussed, and pointed out, and whined about (by Mena), and we have finally figured out what we're going to do concerning romance. So! There will be pairings, and all romance will be sidenote (in other words, not enough for romance to be a genre) There will be Jou/Mia, possibly one sided Tea/Jou, and a little bit of Shizuka/Yugi. Just so you know!

* * *

**SEVEN: The First Trial**

The stars sprinkled in the sky were beautiful. The girl sighed almost blissfully as she tried and failed to count them. _If only the moon were out, this scene would be even better, _she thought.

There was a commotion behind her. "Setia?"

Setia turned and saw her mother had climbed partway up on the roughly diamond-shaped boulder that the girl had designated as her stargazing perch. "What are you doing up here? Your father is having a meeting around the campfire. You should be there."

"I know," Setia sighed. She turned back to the stars, unwilling to look at her mother. "I just...I guess...I suppose I'm having second thoughts about this."

"Second thoughts?" her mother said incredulously. "What do you mean? Everything is going according to plan. Why would you-"

"You haven't seen that boy, Mother," Setia said, turning around again. "I have. He's so innocent and adorable. I'm beginning to feel bad for the way we're using him."

Setia's mother sighed and climbed up farther on the giant rock to place a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Honey, you know what your father would say. This plan is crucial to the future of Egypt. We cannot give it up simply because of one 'innocent' boy. We may have to sacrifice one innocent to save a thousand."

Setia sighed. "I know you're right."

"Arimayu? Setia?"

The two women turned. A third figure was beside the rock, looking up at them. "Yes, dear?" Arimayu asked.

"Why are you not at the campfire? We need to discuss the second stage of our plan," Setia's father said.

"Is the first stage already decided?" Arimayu asked with surprise.

Setia's father smirked. "I came across the notorious thief Bakura. He will be doing it for us."

"Bakura?" Setia's eyes widened. "The tomb robber? Can we truly trust him?"

"Of course we can," Setia's father said. "He knows that I am even less merciful than he is. If I detect any signs of betrayal or deceit, I can kill him on the spot."

_Or can you, _Setia thought.

"Come now," Setia's father said. "We need you especially, Setia, for the next stage of our plan." He helped the two women off the rock and they went to the campfire together.

Bakura was in the middle of talking to a pretty girl with long brown hair and gray eyes when the three arrived. He turned and saw them, his customary smirk on his face. "Tell me if it's true, Turo. Did you really fake your own deaths when your caravan was burnt?"

"Yes we did," Turo said, sitting down beside the white-haired thief. "That stupid slave of mine unwittingly played into my hands when she decided to burn the camp down. Now that the Pharaoh thinks us dead, he will never suspect what is coming."

"And he will never suspect I am allied with you," Bakura added, a frown crossing his face. "But what is the advantage of me being so, anyway? I am stealing something for you; what do I get in return?"

"The thrill of a good purloin?" Arimayu suggested.

"I always have that," Bakura said, his frown deepening. "I expect to be paid in full for my services."

"Then you shall," Turo said.

* * *

_He had heard the voice; it seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it, and it scared him. He lost consciousness shortly after, the injury to his head affecting his brain. Nightmares freely converged on his unguarded mind. He tried to block them out; they persisted with a deadly insistency._

_"Make it go away...Please, make it stop..."_

_He heard another voice, and tensed. "No!" he cried, wanting to back away but unable to. "Leave me alone! Please just go away!" He felt tears coming and put his face in his hands. "I want to be alone..."_

_Then the voices and sounds were gone. He fell to his knees, relieved yet still afraid. Shuddering, suddenly cold, he let his guard drop for a moment, and he heard voices. But soon they were drowned out by the nightmares coming once again to claim his mind._

_"No! No!" he screamed, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands over his ears. "Leave me alone! Please!" Tears flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks. "I...I...want out..." The nightmares slowly faded away, and he wrapped his arms around himself, trying, trying hard, to keep his shield up. He didn't want to be reminded...he didn't want the memories...

* * *

_

Mia's head was down, one hand over her face, her hair hiding the rest. She was sitting on the edge of Yugi's bedside, holding the lifeless hand of the unconscious boy. Atemu and Ishizu watched from a short distance.

Yugi has passed out shortly after Mia had backed away from him. He had a serious-looking bruise on one side of his forehead, which Ishizu had decided was the cause of the blackout. She had treated Yugi's injuries, and he hadn't woken up once yet.

"Why?" Mia suddenly said, not talking to either of the two conscious people in the room. "I'm your friend...your best friend...why did you close up to me?"

* * *

(Flashback) 

She knelt down beside Yugi on the ground and tried to pick him up. "Yugi, are you all right?" she asked. She was surprised when Yugi started to tremble harder in her arms. "Yugi?"

"No..." Yugi whispered. "Let me go...please..."

Mia's eyes widened. "Yugi, it's okay, it's me; it's Mia," she said.

More tears came out of Yugi's eyes. "Let me go," he said again, trying to pull himself out of her arms. He was too weak to do much though.

Mia was horrified. _This...this can't be happening, _she thought hollowly. She gently put him back down on the floor and let him go. Her hands hesitated over him for a second; she longed to pick him up again and hold him tightly. But she vowed to respect his wishes. She backed away.

(end Flashback)

* * *

"Please, Yugi," Mia was saying, half not realizing it, "please don't shut me out. Please." She trembled hard to keep the tears behind her eyes; it didn't work, and a few gathered on her lashes, waiting to fall. Her grip tightened on Yugi's hand. "I've always been there...to help you make it through...I want to be there again. Yugi..." she tensed when she received no response. "Don't do this!" She released his hand and stood up abruptly, swaying unsteadily before gaining her balance. 

She suddenly felt hands on her shoulders, keeping her from dropping to the floor. "Calm yourself, Mia." Ishizu's constantly level voice broke through her near hysteria. "Letting yourself become worked up will not make him respond."

Mia barely heard her. "He's never shut me out before," she said, simply staring at his form on the bed. "He's always been afraid of other people. And then I would be there to make him feel better. But never...never me..." She absently pushed a strand of hair from her face.

"There may be a way to reach him," Ishizu said.

Mia turned to her, desperate. "How?" she demanded.

Ishizu looked at her with what seemed like sympathy, and then led her back to the bed. She reached out an arm and motioned Atemu forward as well. "Right now the three of us are the only ones Yugi can seek comfort from. Mia, first and foremost, Atemu next, and myself last. If we want to assure him that everything is all right, we must be patient and be willing to do anything for him."

"I want to help him," Mia said, beginning to regain control. She wiped the unfallen tears from her eyes.

"So do I," Atemu said from beside her.

Ishizu nodded. "Then all we can do is remind him of who we are, and that we want to help him. When he was attacked, his mind was plagued by memories of mistreatment from his past. Any memories of us and our care for him are being overwhelmed by these. Even though he is unconscious right now, he can still hear us. We must remind him of whatever shall help him recover emotionally."

Mia and Atemu nodded.

"He will need someone to be with him during all of the hours he would not normally be asleep. Since you both have work you must do, I will spend the time with him that one of you cannot. There are a few things you should also remember..."

* * *

_He felt tears stinging his eyes. The pain in his head...it hurt so badly...it hurt to keep up his shield. He longed to drop it just for a moment, to relieve the pain in his head, but he knew if he did, the nightmares would come back. He didn't want the nightmares._

_The pain slowly intensified over time. He could feel it throbbing through his skull; he couldn't hold it for much longer. "Just let it drop, just for a few moments," he told himself. Then he would shield himself again. His eyes squeezed shut from the pain, he dropped his guard._

_The horrible memories and visions rushed in with a vengeance. He screamed again and pressed his hands over his ears, trying to wait just a little longer, until the pain went down. Through the terrible sights and sounds, he thought he heard a familiar voice floating towards him. Curious through the pain and fear, he reached out for it. It sounded so distant._

"...need you back, Yugi. Please come back to us. I...I miss you so much..."

_Who was it? He knew that voice; he knew that girl. Was she his friend? The voice was consumed in the unwanted noises, and he doubled over._

_"No...no...go away..."_

_He was about to raise his mental shields again when he heard the voice float nearer again. He reached out for it, if for nothing else, as a way to ignore what he did not want to hear._

"...I know it might be hard, Yugi, to open up, but it was never that way with me. I was your friend, and your protector. You always came to me when you were hurt or deathly afraid. I never hurt you, and I never went against your wishes. Please, Yugi, you have to remember me."

_He knew her. He knew that he knew her. But he just couldn't remember her name. He wanted to hear her name. It might help him. Pushing through the pain and fear, he tried to speak to her. "Please," he called, "tell me who you are. I know I know you!"_

_The memories of his past were suffocating him. In a desperate attempt to escape, he reached farther for the voice. Somehow, he just had a feeling that whoever it was could help him. He didn't want to be here anymore._

_He panicked when he realized he couldn't hear the voice anymore. "Come back!" he shouted over the noise of the nightmares. "Please! Come back!" Suddenly he found himself supplied with a name._

_"Mia!" he yelled. "Come back! Come back! I need you, Mia! Please come back!"_

_"_Mia..."

Mia looked down with a start. Yugi's eyes were closed. But he had just spoken, hadn't he? "Yugi?" she said softly, holding his hand again. It had been one day since the incident in the hall. Yugi hadn't woken up once. She was surprised when the fingers in her grip twitched.

Yugi's eyelids slowly lifted. He looked up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"Yugi?" Mia said, leaning towards him. His gaze shifted to her face, and his eyes opened all the way. "Mia..." he said, seeming to register this in his mind. Then his eyes flashed. "Mia...oh, Mia!" He sat up and threw his arms around her neck. She responded by wrapping her arms around him. "Y-You came back..." Yugi was crying.

"I never left you, Yugi," Mia said to him, rubbing his back soothingly.

Yugi choked back a sob. "Mia," he said through his tears, "I forgot about you. I'm so sorry. I was just so afraid-every time I let my guard down, all these horrible memories came back. I didn't want to hear anyone's voice." His grip on her neck tightened. "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear!"

"It's okay, Yugi," Mia said, her grasp on him rather possessive as she felt tears rise and spill. "I'm just glad you're back. How do you feel?"

"My head hurts, but...it's nothing compared to how bad I feel," Yugi said. "I made you unhappy. I'm so sorry. I'm a t-terrible person."

"No you're not!" Mia exclaimed. "You're not terrible, Yugi. You were never terrible, and you never will be. Don't ever believe that about yourself, because it isn't true. Okay?"

Yugi nodded into her shoulder. "Okay."

"Mia."

Mia looked up and saw Ishizu in the doorway. She had probably come to relieve Mia of Yugi-watching duty so she could go back to work. She came over, her steps measured. "I see Yugi has awoken, and that he remembers you. That is good. But he may not completely remember I or Atemu."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked. "Why not?"

"From what I heard and what I know, he was trying to block out his memories. He may have blocked out some of the good ones as well as some of the bad."

Yugi was watching Ishizu a little apprehensively. He seemed to not remember her. His hold on Mia's neck tightened as she approached.

"Do not be afraid of me, Yugi," Ishizu said, sitting on the other side of the bed. "Your memories know who I am."

Yugi watched her. His eyes unfocused slightly, betraying the fact that he was trying to remember who she was. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Wait...I do remember you!" He looked up at Ishizu, a happy glow on his face. "Miss Ishizu!" He let go of Mia to hug Ishizu.

"Yes, Yugi," Ishizu said with a rare smile. Mia smiled watching them. She was so happy that Yugi was back. The short period of time where he had forgotten her...she shivered. She never wanted that to happen again.

* * *

Atemu was not in a good mood. Which obviously meant he was in the middle of another council meeting. Besides the fact that he was hungry, bored, and sleepy, all at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder how Yugi was doing. He had been the same that morning when Atemu had woken up. Had there been any change yet? 

"You have received a letter from the pharaoh of Tameth," one of the advisors who wasn't Nafato or Asli said. He was still a relatively young guy. Atemu thought vaguely that his name was something like Sachir.

Atemu didn't answer, and Seto jabbed him in the ribs. "Oh-what does it say?" Atemu asked, coming back to earth. Most of the time, when he received a letter from one of the other neighboring kingdoms, he was informed of it in a council meeting.

Sachir looked down at the sheet of papyrus in front of him, spread out on the table. "It says that the Pharaoh of Tameth is sending his daughter, Princess Anzu (**NFT: **Ahahahahaha! All right, be honest now, show of hands; who saw that coming?) here for a vacation."

Atemu raised an eyebrow. Vacation? Since when did his palace become the popular getaway resort?

"He says she also has some things concerning alliances and treaties that she wishes to discuss with you. She'll arrive tomorrow and stay for a month."

"_Tomorrow_!" Atemu and Seto exploded in unison. "A _month_!" they added after a few seconds.

The council shrank back in order to protect their ears. "That's what the letter says, Your Highness," Sachir offered lamely, as if to say "It's not our fault!"

Atemu slapped a hand to his forehead. Seto rolled his eyes. "Fine," Atemu snapped. "Inform the servants that there will be a palace-wide cleanup, including the grounds and the stables. And...oh, I don't know, prepare for an arrival!" He left the room. Seto followed.

"Tomorrow!" Atemu exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "And he chose to let us know _today_. I absolutely do _not_ believe this."

"It could have been worse," Seto offered as they went down the hall in the direction of Atemu's room. "She could have been coming today."

Atemu shot him a frustrated look. "Don't make me feel any worse," he growled. "Now I have to be prepared to share the palace with some princess I don't even know for an entire month! I really do not want to be bothered with this. If visits keep happening like this, I'm going to end up making it illegal to come visit the Pharaoh if you are a person of any importance."

Seto just walked along silently, letting Atemu rant. He stopped when he looked up ahead and put a hand on Atemu's shoulder. Atemu, who was busy complaining about the ability to plan visits, stopped and glared at him. "What?"

"Just look," Seto said in a "you idiot" tone, pointing ahead.

Atemu turned to look up ahead, and he saw Ishizu with a stern look on her face. More importantly, he saw Yugi, hiding behind Ishizu and tightly holding onto her skirt, watching the Pharaoh and the High Priest with fearful eyes.

Suddenly Atemu's rant was not as important. He slowly approached Ishizu and Yugi. Yugi's grip on Ishizu's skirt tightened when Atemu came nearer, but he didn't seem too afraid.

Atemu knelt down to be closer to Yugi's level. He watched the boy stare at him, his eyes slightly out of focus. Slowly, very slowly, Yugi stretched out a hand and touched Atemu's shoulder. Atemu reached up and took it. "Yugi, do you remember me?"

Yugi watched him. Slowly, he nodded. He let go of Ishizu's skirt with his other hand and moved closer to Atemu. Then, in one quick moment, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Atemu's neck.

Atemu hugged Yugi back, feeling a sigh of relief escape him. Seto watched, not smiling, but his eyes were clearly amused. Ishizu was actually smiling. _The first trial is over, _she thought to herself, watching Atemu and Yugi embrace. _They became even closer than I thought possible. Perhaps their friendship will guide them through the coming trials without breaking them apart. _Then she frowned. _But only time will tell._

High Priest Seto was the only one in the hall to notice Ishizu's frown.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

Toli: Many sorries! I know that chapter was shorter than usual, but come on, people! I'm writing seven- and eight-paged chapters here!

Mena: _In _tiny text, too! And, uh, sister, (pokes Toli) I help too, remember?

Toli: Oh. Yeah.

Mena: (hands on hips) You know, I was the one in control of our penname and you decided to come along and help _me_ out! Now it seems like you're taking the credit for everything!

Toli: Am not!

(Six minutes later Toli and Mena are in anime dustcloud fistfight. Several high-pitched exclamations in their native language are heard)

Jesselda: (sweatdrops)


	8. The Arrival

****

RESPONSES

* * *

**Mirrored-Insanity  
**Toli: Hey, and welcome to the fic!

Mena: I'm glad he remembers Atemu too! It would really suck if he didn't, don't you agree? Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**silverwolf-bakura13  
**Mena: OOOH! COOKIES! (falls to ground underneath weight of bag) 

Toli: Wow, you seem to feel pretty strongly about some of the characters. Well... (flashes thumbs-up) Right on! We appreciate the enthusiasm!

Mena: (happily scarfing down cookies)

Toli: Thanks for all your reviews, and hope you enjoy!

* * *

**TopazDragon  
**Mena: Hi! Welcome! We're glad you like our story! 

Toli: Sorry, but you arrived a little too late to stop the Jou/Mia. It's already in there! Besides, she loves him on the show, and oh, blame Mena. She writes the romance.

Mena: (stops in the middle of a cookie) Hey!

Toli: And the other pairings...well, we decided to kind of downplay the one-sided Tea/Jou, and there's going to be eventual Yugi/Shizuka. Anyway, hope the minimal Jou/Mia doesn't ruin the story for you!

Mena: And thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**Shebythedogdemoness  
**Toli: Apparently amnesia can be short term, when the amnesiac is properly coerced out. 

Mena: Who are you again?

Toli: (eye twitches) Arg... (hits Mena with a frying pan)

Mena: _OWWWWWW_! SIS-_TERR_! WHY DID YOU _DO _THAT!

Toli: You're cured!

Mena: Huh? Uhhh... (joins Sinya and Sheby)

Toli: (rolls eyes)

* * *

**Masami Mistress Of Fire  
**Toli: Ummm...yes? 

Mani: YES! I HAVE A TWIN NAMED MASAMI! (hugs Masami)

Mena: DAMIE-CHAN! KOISHII! (glomps Damion)

Toli: (looks around for someone to hug) This feels awkward! (hugs Masami as well)

Jesselda: I think I'll stay out of this little hugfest.

Toli: Masami, you really need to stop breaking those legs! That's hazardous! Oh, wait! I have just the prezzy for you! (throws open closet and rummages around)

Mani: If I'm gonna be your twin, Masami, will you change your hair to black?

Toli: (in closet) Whoops! Better turn off that bomb! Okay now, let's see... (clank) Where is it? (crash) Aha! (stumbles out) I found it! Here! (holds up silver pants) It's the SuperDuperBaggyPantsShieldThingy 6004! Not only does it protect your obviously fragile legs, it has trip-proof hems, so you can run around-

Jesselda: Screaming "WOO FREAKIN' HOO, MAN!" (clears throat)

Toli-without fear! And it's also fashionably baggy! Cool, huh? (tosses pants at Masami) Now, if you're going to be Mani's twin, you have to be willing to sit down with her and watch six straight hours of Yu-Gi-Oh on tape, 'kaykay?

Mani: (cuddles Yugi-plushie)

Mena: (cuddles Damie-chan plushie)

Jesselda: (sweatdrops)

Toli: Anyway, gotta go!

(door opens)

Toli: Hi, Meg!

Meg: Masami! (bursts into tears) I was almost finished with the group picture, but them it got DELETED! (throws herself into Toli's arms) I'm SOOO SORRY!

Toli: Oh, that's terrible! We have to do something to cheer you up! (thinks) Can't think of anything. Oh well! We'll be back!

* * *

**Linkin-Phoenix  
**Mena: Hi, guys! 

Toli: Yeah, catfight's over now, so...

Mena: Was it entertaining?

Toli: (anime falls) MENA! (stands up) It looks like you guys have issues. Major issues. Oh, and I suggest using a frying pan. It works a lot better than a sledgehammer.

Mena: Yeah, she's got, like, six of them...

Toli: Yeah, people like to give Friend Freak her Japanese name when she's in Egypt. It sounds more Egypt-y than Tea, I guess. But the only reason we did it was because Tea was already used, and we had used up every other girl character we've seen in the show, and didn't feel like coming up with another character.

Mena: I don't really consider Yaoi a plague, but sometimes it does get kind of old, and I really don't see how someone can write it (especially lemons or limes). I have a hard enough time writing convincing regular romance.

Toli: And if you're talking about the names we made up for some of the characters, all we did was think them up. We don't even know if those names are real names, but they sounded good.

Mena: Hey, look, sister, watch them go!

Toli: (grabs popcorn) I wonder if Shadow Phoenix will get away...Ten bucks says no.

Mena: Ten says yes!

Toli: You're on!

* * *

**kristen89  
**Mena: Oooh, marshmallows! (starts catching marshmallows in her mouth) 

Toli: (sweatdrops) Oh dear. Anyway, hey! I actually like Tea, and I haven't read enough of Anzu in the manga to form an opinion. But Anzu's going to be pretty hateable in this story. Yep, you can count on that. Mena wrote the part about when Atemu and Seto found out Anzu was coming, and yeah, it was pretty funny!

Mena: Hey, I ramble about random things at weird intervals, so don't feel bad. Sometimes it's fun! You know, have you ever considered how funny the word "random" can be sometimes? I mean, think about it, when you think random, you automatically think funny, don't you? Because random humor is so funny! I mean, think about it, random associated with funny-

Toli: (slaps hand over Mena's mouth) ANY-way, thanks for reviewing, and don't stay up past bedtime, young lady! (shakes a warning finger) Just kiddin', thanks for the review!

* * *

Toli: Okay! We're cool now! No worries! 

Mena: That's right! Now we can go on to the next chapter!

Jesselda: (oddly more cheerful) The twins don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Mena: Jezzy, why do you seem so happy?

Jesselda: (shrugs) Random author's note malfunction, I guess.

* * *

EIGHT: The Arrival

_"Slave!" the master yelled, the threatening sound of his whip slicing through the air. "Where are you?"_

_Yugi gulped and huddled closer to himself in the small grove of palm trees. He had had enough, and today he was making the decision to run away. He had to get away-he couldn't stay here anymore. He didn't know where he would go, but anywhere was better than here._

_"Slave!"_

_The master's voice was closer. Yugi felt a shiver run through his body, even though it was nowhere near cold enough for that. He peeked fearfully around the tree and saw his master entering a tent a few feet away. He had his whip in hand and looked ready to use it._

_'This is my chance.' Yugi turned and looked at the sand dune standing a few yards away. He planned to run to it and climb over it before his master noticed. Then he could hide on the other side and catch his breath while formulating a plan. Nodding once to assure himself, he took a deep breath and took off like a shot towards the sand dune._

_There was no time for idle thought. He could only focus on the sand dune, what he felt to be his last hope for survival. He kept running towards it, noticing in dismay that it seemed to grow larger as he came nearer. Then he heard a voice which nearly made him trip and fall._

_"Slave! Get back here!"_

_He had been spotted. Yugi raced to the sand dune and started climbing it as quickly as he could, half-crawling to the top. He clawed frantically at the sand as his bare feet vainly tried to find holds sturdy enough for him to push upwards. He could feel himself tiring, and he wasn't even halfway there! The chances for freedom began to fade in front of his eyes._

_"You'll never escape!"_

_He felt a rough hand grab his ankle, throwing him off balance. He slid partway down before trying to scramble back up. But the hand on his ankle dragged him down the rest of the way._

_"You useless slave! Did you think you could run away? You'll be punished for your disobedience!"_

_'No,' Yugi thought in fear. He felt tears, and the whip hadn't even fallen. 'Not again.'_

Yugi's eyes flew open and he shot up in bed. Sweat was pouring down his back, and his eyes were already brimming with tears. He clutched his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the horrors of his nightmare from his mind.

Finally he was able to look up. The room was dark, moonlight hindered by the clouds covering most of the sky. Yugi shivered. The darkness was unnerving him. Besides that, he was cold. The thought of someone he trusted being there to make him feel better was quite appealing, but he didn't know what to do. Mia was the first name that came to mind, but he had never seen where she worked, much less where she slept. He didn't know how to get to Ishizu's healing room either, and that probably wasn't where she slept anyway. That left...

Yugi glanced to his left, where the silhouette of the Pharaoh's bed, and the form in it, were barely visible. Atemu was in the same room with him. He cared, right? He would help. Yugi nodded and quietly slipped out of his own bed. He walked across the cold floor in his bare feet, shivering with every step.

He found himself standing over the left side of Atemu's large round bed soon enough, and now he could hear Atemu breathing. He was lying on his side, facing Yugi, and his eyes were closed. He looked quite peaceful. Yugi extended a hand to touch his shoulder and then drew it back with a sudden thought. What if Atemu didn't want to be woken up? What if he got angry and yelled at Yugi, or sent him out of the room, or made him sleep outside? Yugi shivered and took a step back, preparing to turn around and get back in his own bed.

_But...he said he wanted to help me, _Yugi thought to himself. _He said so many times. Maybe...maybe he won't be angry at me. _He approached again and slowly reached out a hand. He hesitated, his small hand just inches away from descending onto Atemu's shoulder. But what if he was wrong? What if Atemu's definition of "help" had limits? And what if he was crossing the line? Yugi's hand flew back to his chest. A lonely tear made its way down his cheek, shining in the minimal moonlight that found its way into the room. _I can't risk it, _he told himself, looking down hopelessly at the floor.

"Yugi?"

Startled, Yugi's head came back up, to find Atemu watching him with sleepy, half-lidded purple eyes. He gasped and started to back away. "Y-Your Highness, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I-"

Atemu sat up and yawned, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes. "It's all right, Yugi, you didn't wake me up. I'm restless is all." He looked at Yugi, who still looked afraid. "Is something wrong?"

Yugi looked down. The one tear he had shed was still on its slow way down to his chin. "N-No, I'm fine. I just..." He couldn't help a sniffle.

"Yugi." Atemu got out of bed and knelt down to better look Yugi in the eye. He gently placed his hands on the younger boy's shoulders. "You don't have to lie to me. What is it?"

Yugi looked up, deciding to believe Atemu. "I...I had another nightmare," he said, looking away as if ashamed. "It scared me and I...was afraid of being by myself." He slowly got the courage to look into Atemu's eyes, almost afraid of what he'd find there. Atemu's eyes weren't angry or annoyed; they were simply understanding.

"That's okay, Yugi," Atemu said to him. "If you're afraid, you can always come to me."

"I-can?" Atemu nodded. "But what if you're asleep or...or in an important meeting or-"

"You still can," Atemu assured him with a smile.

Yugi was incredibly relieved that Atemu wasn't angry at him. He was very scared of anger, especially anger directed at him. That thought brought the memory of the nightmare back to his mind, and he shuddered involuntarily, putting a hand over one eye. He was only glad it had ended before the whip had fallen.

"Yugi?" Atemu was worried again. Sometimes Yugi would just seem to zone out for no reason. He pulled Yugi closer and gave him a gentle hug. Yugi completely collapsed into the embrace, letting out a long sigh. Atemu picked him up and sat on the edge of his own bed with Yugi in his lap.

There was silence for a while, and then, "Atemu?"

"Hmmm?" Atemu looked down at Yugi, who was looking up at him.

"I'm sorry..."

"For what?" Atemu asked, genuinely confused.

Yugi looked down at his hands. "For not trusting you sooner. That had to frustrate you, but I wanted to, I really did. It was just so hard..." He trailed off and simply snuggled closer to Atemu.

"You don't have to apologize for something like that, little one. It's not your fault that so many things have happened to you in your life that you find it hard to trust others. I'm just glad you trust me now. You do trust me, right?"

Yugi nodded. "I trust you."

Atemu smiled. He rested his chin on the top of Yugi's head and looked out the window. So many things had happened since Yugi had arrived. He never would have thought in a million years that he would ever find anybody that he cared about this much. (**NFM**: It's kind of like Seto's and Mokuba's relationship, except, you know, they aren't brothers) He wondered what his life would be like right now if Yugi had never arrived.

Atemu looked down at Yugi to find that the younger boy had fallen asleep again. _Good, _Atemu thought with a smile. _He deserves some peaceful rest. _He stood up and carried Yugi back to his bed. Tucking the younger boy in, he looked down and was relieved to see that Yugi looked like he was actually getting some rest instead of being held in the throes of another nightmare.

**

* * *

**

"Trust me, Yugi, they're great. They'd love to meet you and be your friends," Mia said, unable to keep a joyful grin off her face.

"If you say so," Yugi said, not looking up.

Mia gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. "You don't have to rush anything, Yugi-they'd just like to meet you. They'll be nice and they won't try to hurt you-you can count on that."

It was the next day. Atemu had given Yugi leave to do what he liked for the entire day, as he was going to go receive the arriving princess. Yugi had spent the first few hours of the morning following Ishizu around, and when Mia had come up to deliver some medicine for the physician, he had shocked and pleased both of them by asking Mia to introduce him to some of the other servants. He was trying to take another step out of the isolated little world he had been forced into, and he was scared out of his mind. But he trusted Mia not to let anything bad happen to him.

"Oh, there's Tea," Mia said, looking up ahead. "She'd really love to meet you, Yugi. She's a really nice and kind person. Come on, let's say hi."

"O-Okay," Yugi said, tightening his grip on Mia's hand.

"Tea!" Mia called, waving her free arm. "Hey, Tea!"

Tea looked up from where she was straightening a vase on a small table, both of which she had nearly knocked down. She smiled when she saw Mia. "Hey, Mia," she greeted, coming over while being certain to step around the small table. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much, just the usual. Hey, there's someone I'd like you to meet. You remember me telling you about Yugi, right?"

Tea nodded. "And this is him?" She looked down at the boy who was watching the ground. She noticed he had Mia's hand in a death grip.

"Yes, this is him. Yugi-" her voice was suddenly softer and lower "-this is Tea. Want to say hi?"

Slowly, Yugi looked up to see Tea. She had an encouraging smile on her face. "Hello, Yugi," she said in a friendly, quieted voice.

"Hi, Tea," Yugi said in a shy voice, ready to look down should her expression become unfriendly.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. Her smile never changed.

Yugi watched her apprehensively, but he still couldn't find it in him to smile. He was still too nervous. "It's nice to meet you too," he said.

Tea then decided to crouch down so she wouldn't have to lean over so much. "So, do you like it here at the palace?" she asked.

Yugi nodded. "It's-all right," he said. He looked down again. Then he looked up. "Will you-do you want to come with us?"

Tea looked delighted, as if some lord had asked to marry her. "I'd love to," she said, glancing up at Mia. Mia looked surprised but still had that overjoyed grin on her face. Tea stood upright and walked with them, on Yugi's other side. Yugi had managed to find the courage to look up now, but he still didn't release Mia's hand from its vice grip.

"So, you just showing Yugi around?" Tea asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Mia said. "He told me he wanted to meet some of the other servants, so I'm taking him around, looking for a friendly face."

"How's the search so far?" Her friendly question was directed at Yugi.

Yugi blushed from the attention. "Well...you were the first person we came across," he admitted.

Tea smiled at him, then turned her attention back to Mia. "If you're looking for a friendly face, I can think of a face that looks with a little too friendliness at you."

"You're talking about Jou, aren't you!" Mia said.

"Of course. It's so obvious he's got a crush on you. Every time he walks past you, he trips and falls almost as much-"

"As you?"

"Hey!" Both girls giggled. Yugi felt a little out of place between them. As if she heard his thoughts, Yugi felt Mia give his hand a reassuring squeeze. That made him feel better. He wondered what Atemu was doing.

**

* * *

**

"You do know that the thief's rescheduled visit happens tomorrow, don't you?" Seto said casually.

Atemu suppressed a growl. "I noticed."

"You might want to do something about it."

"I have!" Atemu couldn't keep a snap out of his voice. He glared at Seto, who was sitting beside him in the council meeting room, looking forward. Seto had been angry with him ever since their argument over Yugi roughly a week ago. It seemed like he was mainly mad because Yugi and Atemu's relationship had gotten stronger. "Honestly, Seto, I think you're acting really immature."

"And I think you're acting stupid," Seto shot back. He turned to face Atemu. "You know better than I do that there are people out there who want to assassinate you. Having Yugi around is like openly showing your Achilles' heel to the people out there eager to exploit it."

"My friendship with Yugi is not that open," Atemu snapped.

Seto shook his head. "Yes it is. It's completely obvious. All Yugi is now is a sign of weakness in you that hasn't been seen for years. Do you really want to risk that? Consider it this way, if you won't consider it the rational way: if someone's out to get you, and they know Yugi is your weakness, then they're going to come after _him_."

A light dawned in Atemu's eyes. "So, you're saying that I'm putting him in danger," he said quietly, his eyes flashing with an unreadable emotion.

Seto nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Your Highness!" Hiroto came into the room and bowed. "The princess Anzu of Tameth has arrived," he announced.

Atemu and Seto stood up. "All right, then," Atemu said, waving his hand as a signal to leave. Hiroto nodded and left.

**

* * *

**

"What do you think of the palace, Princess?"

Anzu glanced out at the massive building as the large double doors, the only opening to the tall wall around the palace, were opened from the inside to admit the princess's caravan. She let the silk curtain drop. "It's nice. Not as nice as Daddy's, but nice," she said, idly playing with one of the many gold bracelets on her wrists.

Setia, her personal servant who was sitting beside her, nodded at the answer to her question. "The Pharaoh should be expecting you," she said. "How long are we to be staying again, Princess?"

"Daddy said he doesn't expect me back in less than a month," Anzu said. They felt the carriage they were riding in come to a stop. Setia lifted the silk curtain and stepped out. She turned and helped Anzu out. Behind them, other servants were taking care of the princess's luggage.

Several of the Pharaoh's guards had come to escort the princess and her entourage inside. Along with them came Ishizu. She bowed formally to Anzu. "On behalf of Pharaoh Atemu and High Priest Seto, we welcome you to the royal palace," she said.

"That's very nice of them," Anzu said.

"Please follow me inside to the throne room," Ishizu said, turning. She went back into the palace, Anzu and Setia following.

On a balcony one story over their heads, Mia, Yugi, Tea, Shizuka, and a few other servants were watching the scene. "You know, maybe it's just the distance between us, but that princess looks an awful lot like you, Tea," Mia said.

"No way," Tea said, shaking her head. "She's gorgeous. I don't look anything like that."

"Well, sure, because you don't have fancy clothes and makeup," Mia insisted.

"How have you been, Yugi?" Shizuka asked shyly. She was blushing a little.

"I've been okay," Yugi answered. Both their voices were rather quiet.

Serenity looked down and shifted her feet. "I haven't seen you in a while," she said. She looked back up. "I was...uh, wondering how you were."

"Really?" Yugi asked. Serenity nodded in response. They smiled at each other. Somehow the fear that they both possessed of the world around them made them even closer to each other.

While they were smiling at each other, Mia and Tea were arguing about how much Anzu looked like Tea. "She would so look like you if she just wiped all that stuff off her face!" Mia was saying.

"Oh, come on, Mia!" Tea argued. "You know and I know that there's no way we could look alike. Besides, her hair looks longer than mine. And she looks taller."

"You can tell that from this far away?"

"You can tell she's wearing _makeup_ from this far away?"

"We both know her lips aren't naturally that red."

"Good point."

**

* * *

**

Atemu walked to his chambers alone. He had a headache.

The meet and greet had gone well, considering that Atemu wanted to send every last idiot in that room, including Seto, to the Shadow Realm. Ishizu, seeing how agitated Atemu already was, had taken over giving the princess a tour of the palace and showing her to a guest room. But she had dragged Seto along anyway. The plan was that the princess would go ahead and stay the month, and her servants would simply be thrown in with all the other servants, except they were under her jurisdiction. Atemu didn't really care one way or another. His first impression of Anzu was that she felt a need to impress him and/or feel superior to him.

Atemu sighed. Why did he get the feeling he would want to wring her neck by next week? He removed all thoughts of Anzu from his mind and pushed open the doors to his chambers.

It was quiet. Atemu glanced around. He had kind of expected Yugi to be in here. The younger boy must be off enjoying himself. Atemu hoped so. He wanted Yugi to enjoy himself at least some of the time.

Atemu walked to his window and looked out. Some of his guards were helping to drive the princess's caravan out of the way of the front gates. Besides that, there wasn't anything of importance outside to look at. Atemu sighed and propped his elbows up on the window sill, resting his chin in his hand. He thought he heard a quiet noise behind him, but he ignored it.

"So, now I have a month-long houseguest, someone has just discovered I need new servants, and Seto is still mad at me. Can this day get any worse?"

Atemu sighed, unwilling to answer his own question.

Suddenly, he found himself on his back on the floor. Someone had tackled him from behind. Atemu looked up to see Yugi sitting on his chest, staring at him with an evil grin on his face. "Got you!" he cheered.

"You set this up!" Atemu accused.

Yugi nodded happily. Atemu sat up, making Yugi slide down. "I don't believe you," Atemu said with accusing eyes. Then he smiled.

"So, is the princess nice?" Yugi asked.

Atemu shrugged. "She's all right." He stood up, making Yugi fall off. "Ow!"

"Sorry," Atemu said halfheartedly. He reached down and helped Yugi stand up. "So," he went on, "what have you done today?"

Yugi shrugged. "Mia took me to meet some of her friends," he said.

Atemu smiled. "Did you like that?"

Yugi nodded. "It was kinda scary at first, but they were all nice to me."

"Of course. They want to be your friends."

There was a knock at the door. Seto walked in before Atemu could answer to it. "It's time for torture-I mean, an evening meal with the princess," he said. "Since you're the pharaoh and all, it might be a good idea if you showed up."

Atemu raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you make jokes?" he asked.

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Get your royal ass out here," he said sharply, turning around. "I'm not suffering alone."

"Oh, so that's what it is." Atemu smirked, then looked down at Yugi. "Do you want to come, Yugi?"

Yugi put a finger to his chin and looked down, as if considering. Then he looked up. "Okay." He followed Atemu out the door.

END CHAPTER

* * *

Yugi: 15  
Atemu: 18  
Seto: 19  
Bakura: 20  
Mia: 18  
Tea: 17  
Ishizu: 30  
Jou: 18  
Hiroto: 19  
Marik: 18  
Malik: 21  
Anzu: 16

Toli: Everyone clap at Mena. She wrote the entire chapter all by her wittle self!

Mena: (glares) Ha ha, how funny, sister.

Toli: I'm just kidding. You know that!

Mena: Anyway, just a little fluff chappie before the action begins.

Jesselda: So you're paving the path before you throw them down it, eh?

Toli: Perfect analogy! Hey, Mena, you going to preview again?

Mena: Why not? So here it is! Coming up, more of the plot is revealed, Mia and Jou's relationship gets a start (sorta), and the thief Bakura makes his scheduled appearance! You don't wanna miss it!


	9. Plots And Purloins

**RESPONSES

* * *

**

**Flame31**

Mena: Thanks for the compliment!

Toli: Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

**TopazDragon**

Toli: Thanks for the compliments!

Mena: Yeah, I'm a sucker for humor. We're sorry if you don't like Mia/Jou.

Toli: But we're glad you still like the story! Don't worry, the romance is in no terms a main part. You won't see but so much of it. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**Mirrored-Insanity**

Mena: SWEETS! YEYEAH! (starts scarfing down chocolate)

Toli: (sweatdrops)

Mena: (continues to scarf)

Toli: Thanks for the awesome compliments! Hope you enjoy the next installment!

* * *

**Masami Mistress Of Fire**

Mena: (bows) Thanks! (glomps Damion) Thank you, koishii!

Toli: (rolls eyes) Mena already knows you think she's the best, Damion. Don't encourage her any more.

Mani: YAY! (hugs Masami) I GOTS ME A NEW TWIN SISTER! WOO FREAKIN' HOO, MAN!

Toli: (sweatdrops) What about my hug? (hugs Masami) You can't forget your original pal!

Jesselda: (receives pat pat) Hmm. I don't know why, but that feels good. Why doesn't Mena ever pat me?

Meg: You never asked?

Jesselda: Why are you here?

Meg: Everyone else was busy, so I decided to drop in to answer your question!

Jesselda: (sweatdrops) Oh...

Meg: Sorry about the pic, Masami. I started working on it again. I must get it done! (grabs mouse hand) WHY ARE YOU SO DAMN FRAGILE, YOU HAND? (looks around) Can I have a hug? (hugs Masami)

Mani: I hope you can dye your hair, Masami-twin! We gots to look as much alike as possible so people'll think we're twins!

Toli: (sweatdrops) Though the two-foot difference in height might give it away...Your welcome for the pants, Masami! NOW let's see those legs just up and break, eh?

Mani: (waves tape) I got the Yu-Gi-Oh if you got the time, Masami twin!

Everyone else: (sweatdrop)

Mena: Okay, we're off! Bye Damie-chan!

Meg: Bye Masami!

Toli: Bye, pal!

Mani: Bai Masami-my-twin-who-looks-nothing-like-me-but-is-my-same-gender-and-will-look-like-me-soon-enough!

Jesselda: This is a lot of goodbyes.

**

* * *

kristen89 **

Mena: Hey! (waves)

Toli: Yeah, a lot of people seem to dislike Tea, even thought we don't! So there's a Tea to like and a Tea to hate! See, everybody's happy!

Mena: If you like how Atemu and Seto acted about having dinner with Anzu, then there's a certain fight between a certain pharaoh and a certain girl in a later chapter I think you'll LOVE...

Toli: That's a spoiler, ain't it?

Mena: Yep. But oh well! I like giving sneekpeeks to peoples I like! (pauses to catch marshmallows in her mouth)

Toli: (sweatdrops) Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**Millenniumgrl126**

Mena: It's okay if you missed them, as long as you're up to speed now!

Toli: Yeah! Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**

* * *

redconvoy **

Mena: Hey, and welcome!

Toli: No, Tea and Anzu aren't realted. But if I'm correct, their resemblance will play a semi-important part later on.

Mena: Good scheme to catch Bakura! Too bad Atemu hasn't though of it, haha. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

**

* * *

Linkin-Phoenix **

Mena/Toli: (watch chase with money in hand)

Toli: Aw yeah! (jumps up) You owe me ten leaves of lettuce, Mena!

Mena: (grumbles) Oh fine. (hands over money to Toli)

Toli: (pockets money) Yeah, those palace guards suck, don't they? Either Bakura's super-stealthy, or they're super-pathetic.

Mena: I pick B.

Toli: Me too. Yeah, angst still to come. Especially in the next few chapterswhew, angst galore. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Mena: So, what do you do when you have five stories going, three of them are Writer's Blocked, and the other two are due to be updated after the three that are Writer's Blocked? 

Toli: I dunno. What?

Mena: I don't know either. That isn't the case with us; I was just curious.

Toli: (sweatdrops) Oh.

Jesselda: (sweatdrops) Why don't we move on? Since we all know you two still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, we can start the story, can't we?

Toli: Yeah. Let's get to it!

* * *

Notes: In case you forgot, here's some reminders.

We know almost nothing about Ancient Egypt customs and stuff, and since we've never been there, we don't really know where anything is. So! Prepare for plenty of made-up stuff!

Tameth: made up  
Nubia: real

Land layout: There are two major kingdoms, Upper Egypt (Atemu's kingdom) and Lower Egypt (?'s kingdom) and inside them, several less important "kingdoms" like Nubia (?'s kingdom) and Tameth (Anzu's father's kingdom). That's made-up info too.

Yugi: 15 x Atemu/Yami: 18 x Seto: 19 x Bakura/the yami: 20 x Mia/Mai Valentine: 18 x Tea: 17 x Shizuka/Serenity Wheeler: 15 x Ishizu: 30 x Jou/Jounouchi/Joey Wheeler: 18 x Hiroto/Honda/Tristan Taylor: 19 x Marik/the hikari: 18 x Malik/the yami: 21 x Anzu/separate from Tea Gardner: 16 x Setia/OC: 16

* * *

NINE: Plots And Purloins

So dinner was served. The dinner was for Atemu, Seto, and Anzu, with Setia and Yugi along by choice. Yugi glanced apprehensively across the table at Setia. She was about his same height, with long black hair and green eyes. She was staring at the table's surface. For some reason, Setia seemed familiar to Yugi, but he couldn't figure out how or why.

"So," the princess was saying. Yugi looked at her and thought she reminded him of Tea, only with slightly longer hair and a lot more makeup. "I assume your reign's been successful so far, Pharaoh Atemu?"

Atemu glanced at her. "It's going fine," he answered coolly.

"Oh, yes," the princess said, fluffing her hair. "Especially considering how young you were when you first ascended the throne. Sixteen, wasn't it? My father started his reign in Tameth at 30."

"So I've heard," Atemu replied stiffly.

Yugi glanced down the table. Nobody was even eating. He could feel the tension in the air, and it kind of made him nervous. He didn't know why, but he didn't really like the princess. Maybe it was because he could see that Atemu didn't like her, and that helped make up his mind. Either way, he wished she wasn't here. Dinner was usually a nicer affair, especially when it was just him and Atemu.

"By the way," the princess said, "where did you get that slave of yours, Pharaoh Atemu? He looks an awful lot like you, you know."

Yugi, out of habit, sank down a little lower when he realized the conversation was focusing on him now. Underneath the table, Atemu gave Yugi's hand a reassuring squeeze. Yugi relaxed slightly.

"Yugi is my personal servant," Atemu said, stressing the use of the word "servant". "He was one of two survivors from a raiders' caravan."

The princess's nose wrinkled delicately. "And you _kept_ him? Why?"

"That's my business," Atemu snapped.

Seto cleared his throat quite loudly. "Are we simply going to let dinner get cold?" he asked. He managed to stop the yellfest that was brewing. The one-sided yellfest.

_Suddenly I'm not so hungry, _Yugi thought.

"Setia is a very expensive slave all the way from Nubia," Anzu mentioned casually. "She cost an awful lot of money. I've had her for about two years." Setia, meanwhile, sat quietly beside her owner as she was talked about like some nifty paperweight.

_Wow. Now I can die happy with that important information finally acquired, _Atemu thought sarcastically.

There was a knock at the door. All five heads looked up. "Enter," Atemu commanded.

The door opened, and Yugi was surprised to see Mia. "I'm sorry for interrupting the meal, Your Highness," she said, her body language still slightly defiant, "but the captain of the guard needs to speak with you right away about the perimeter you want set up."

Atemu stood up, only too happy for an excuse to escape. "That's fine," he said. "Where is he?"

"Outside waiting in the hall," Mai answered, pointing vaguely. She then backed out of the door, letting it swing shut.

"Well, it looks as though we'll have to finish dinner later," Atemu said to the princess, trying not to sound too happy. "I'm sure you can find something else to occupy your time. Let's go, Seto. Yugi." Seto and Yugi stood up. Yugi saw the princess giving him a repulsed look out of the corner of his eye and he couldn't help a shudder. Beside her, Setia was now looking up as well, and she was watching him with an unreadable expression.

_Why are they both staring at me? _Yugi thought. He followed Atemu out into the hall without looking back.

**

* * *

**

Setia stood up. "If I may, princess, can I go wash my hands?" she asked.

"Go right ahead," Anzu said with a wave of her hand. She was still staring at the door. "Why in the world does the pharaoh want that look-alike slave following him around like some useless puppy?" she asked no one in particular.

Setia left the princess alone at the table and found her way to the guest room. Making sure no one was watching or following her, she ducked in and opened the satchel she had hidden there earlier. She pulled out a piece of papyrus and carefully read aloud the spell written on it. Moments later, a small dark oval of shadows formed beside her.

_"Setia," _her father's voice said through the portal.

"Father," Setia answered. "So far things have gone as planned. No one seems to suspect anything at all."

_"Good. Now, remember, keep tabs on the woman and the boy, but be discreet. Try to get to know them if you can. And watch the High Priest. He is very perceptive and might suspect you if you don't keep a low profile." _

"Yes, sir," Setia replied. "Bakura is coming tonight, right?"

_"Yes. Once he has stolen what I need and brought it to me, we can put the third phase of our plan into motion." _

"One thing I have noticed, which you might want to know, Father," Setia said, "there is a servant working in the palace who resembles Princess Anzu to a great extent."

There was a pause. _"Is that so?" _her father's voice came, with a pleased tone in it. _"She may be useful as well later on. But for now, we will stay with the plan." _

"Yes, sir," Setia said, and the portal of shadows dissipated. She re-hid the satchel and went back to attend the princess.

**

* * *

**

Mia walked down the hall. She had delivered the message to the Pharaoh; now she was off to do something else. What that something would be, she didn't know. She was so busy staring off into space, she didn't notice someone coming towards her until she bumped into them.

"Oh!" Mia exclaimed, coming back to reality. "Sorry." She found that she had bumped shoulders with Jou, who was now blushing madly.

"Oh, well...th-that's okay," Jou stammered. "I wasn't really lookin' where I was goin' and all...heheh..."

Mia watched him curiously. "Something on your mind?" she asked. "You seem a little preoccupied."

"What!" Jou's head snapped up. "Oh, uh...n-no, not really...uh..." He looked around nervously, then back at her. "Um, c-can I ask you for some...advice?"

Mia shrugged her shoulders. "Sure," she said.

Jou rubbed the back of his head. "Well, ya see...I kinda like this...this girl. And I wanna tell her, but I don't know...what to say. I mean, what if she laughs at me? Or thinks I sound dumb or somethin'?"

"Does this girl have any idea you like her?" Mia asked.

"I don't think so," Jou said.

Mia considered. She wondered who it was. There were plenty of girls in the palace she hadn't met yet. Maybe it was one of them. She thought back to when Tea was telling her about her small crush on Jou that she was afraid to admit to. Could it be Tea?

"How do you really feel about her?" Mia asked. They started to walk down the hall.

"Well," Jou said, "I mean, I don't know how to put it into words exactly, but...I just, whenever she's around, I get this really weird feeling in my stomach..."

"Indigestion?" Mia asked.

"No, no!" Jou exclaimed, waving his hands. "It's a good feeling, I mean, like, not painful. And I feel like nothin' else matters, except her. I really wanna tell her, but...I just can't think of the right words."

Mia smiled. "Sounds like something a little more serious than a crush," she said.

"Feels like it, too," Jou replied.

"Well, I tell you what," Mia said. "How about I teach you the ways to show a woman how you feel about her."

"Really?" Jou looked at her. "You'd do that for me?"

"Why not?" Mia asked. "You seem like a nice enough guy, now that I know you better. I'd be willing to. But only if you're serious about this girl."

"Oh, I am!" Jou exclaimed. He looked overjoyed. "Thanks a lot, Mia, this really means a lot to me!"

Mia smiled. "Okay, then," she said, spying a bench in the hall, "have a seat." She and Jou sat down. "Now. Lesson One of Proper Communication With Females will now begin." She cleared her throat. "Before you can tell this girl how you feel, you've got to know how to talk to her. There's no use in confessing your love if you can't talk to her right. One of the first things you have to remember about talking to a woman is that she wants to be treated like she has a brain. The prettier she is, the more you have to remember not to just ogle her assets. No one wants to be talked to like some possession."

"Uh huh," Jou said, listening as raptly as a five-year-old hearing a fairy tale.

"When you talk to a girl, treat her like any other person. You wouldn't tell your mom her ass looks nice, even if it does, because you respect her. So don't go telling this girl her ass looks nice, even if it does. Respect her femininity, or else you'll get it."

"Should I take notes?" Jou asked.

"Not a bad idea," Mia said. She went on. "Another thing to remember when talking to a girl is not to talk down to her, like she's inferior because she's a female. No girl likes that, no matter how low her self esteem is. It'll tick her off. You have to treat her like she's got a brain, like I said before. Oh, I just remembered a way to safely give a girl a compliment. Listen well to this, Jou, because if you want to confess your love to this girl, you got to be prepared to earnestly tell her how pretty she is..."

**

* * *

**

Atemu found the captain of the guard, Malik, waiting in the hall like Mia had said. Waiting along with him, and currently arguing with him, was Marik, who looked frustrated, like always.

"I'm telling you, having three guards at the back entrance to the wall is excessive!" Marik was saying. "We only need one there. The other two could guard a more important place."

"What the hell's more important than guarding the main entrances?" Malik shot back. "If he can't get inside the wall, then we don't have to worry about the palace, now do we?"

"You know how that thief is!" Marik argued. "He'll be able to sneak right past them, and then we'll be scrambling to cover our asses while he steals the stuff under our pillows."

"Is there a problem?" Atemu demanded with one eyebrow raised. Seto stood beside him, cold scowl in its proper place, and Yugi, who was still afraid of Marik and had never seen Malik before, was hiding behind him.

Marik and Malik turned to him. If you knew both them and Ishizu, you would have never guessed in a million years that the three were siblings. Not only did they look nothing like their sister, but Marik especially was a lot less wise and a lot more impulsive. Malik was more mature than him, but still not as mature as Ishizu, which was one of the many good reasons they weren't a part of the primary or secondary council.

"Your Highness," Malik said with a bow. Marik bowed also. "There seems to be a problem with the perimeter of guards you want. We don't have enough, for one, and for another, Marik is constantly bugging me about where to put them." He shot a glare at Marik at this.

"I'm just concerned that he's putting too many guards in the wrong places," Marik argued. "We know from experience that this thief Bakura is good at getting past walls and fences. I say we put the most guards at the entrances and exits to the palace. It seems more reasonable."

"What do you say about this?" Atemu asked Malik.

"I think putting more guards along the inside of the wall and at its entrances and exits is a better idea," Malik answered.

Atemu put his chin in his hand. "Hmm," he said. He looked up. "I want more guards guarding the wall."

Malik gave Marik a triumphant glance, while Marik scowled.

"It seems like the better idea," Atemu went on. He looked at Marik and Malik. "You have your orders. Do them."

"Yes, Your Highness," the two brothers said, bowing and leaving.

Seto glanced at Atemu. "Are you sure that's a better idea?"

"I said it was, didn't I?" Atemu snapped.

A grunt was Seto's response. "Perhaps we should get back to the evening meal with the princess."

"By now she's doing something else. Besides, I'd rather jump into the Nile with a millstone around my neck," Atemu replied. He looked out a window near him, where the sun had set and the moon was now high in the sky. "It's getting late. I think I'll turn in."

"Whatever," Seto said, turning around. "I couldn't possibly sleep with the thought of Bakura coming in my mind. I'll be in my room reading something important if you need me." He walked off.

Atemu rolled his eyes. He looked down at Yugi, who was watching him. "Are you angry at him, Atemu?" Yugi asked.

Atemu shook his head. "No. I'm rather annoyed, but I'm not angry." He smiled down at Yugi. "Why does anger frighten you so much?"

A flash of fear passed across Yugi's eyes. He ducked his head, clutching the side of Atemu's shirt. Atemu, worried, knelt down and wrapped his arms around the servant boy. "I'm sorry, Yugi. Do you not want to tell me?"

"M-Maybe later," Yugi said into his shoulder.

"Okay," Atemu said. "Are you ready for bed?"

Yugi nodded. He let out a startled squeak when Atemu lifted him up off the floor, but he soon got settled in the Pharaoh's arms. He wrapped his arms around Atemu's neck and rested his head on Atemu's shoulder.

Atemu carried Yugi to their bedroom. He had to do a lot of shifting Yugi's weight around so he could free an arm to open the door, but he managed to and got them safely in the room. Outside, after he had closed the door, two guards stood in front of it, as ordered.

The Pharaoh was taking no chances with the thief Bakura.

**

* * *

**

The hot sun shone down on him. But it was nothing compared to the burning pain on his back. Yugi gritted his teeth and tried not to cry as the whip fell mercilessly on his back again and again.

"You pathetic slave," he heard his master saying, "after all I've done for you, you try to escape? You'll regret that decision, I assure you..."

Yugi was already regretting it. It felt like his back was on fire, and the salty sweat dripping into the wounds wasn't helping. He saw his blood pooling underneath him out of the corner of his eye and nearly gagged. He always tried to look away from that.

'If only the pain would stop,' he thought. 'Please, let this be the dream. Please don't let my existence with Atemu be the dream. Please, please, please. Wake up. Please just let this only be a dream...'

Yugi's eyes opened and he shot upright in bed. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering violently. _It was a dream, _he told himself. _You aren't in pain. It was a dream. _He whimpered, still scared. His dreams were so vivid. The pain always felt so real.

Yugi's eyes opened and he shot upright in bed. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering violently. he told himself. He whimpered, still scared. His dreams were so vivid. The pain always felt so real. 

A noise made his head snap up, fear flashing in his eyes. He looked around wildly. The only thing he saw was Atemu asleep in his bed. The moon was shining more brightly, as it was fuller, so he could distinguish better. He pulled the covers up to his chin and stared around fearfully, looking for any sign of movement. He saw something beside Atemu's bed move and disappeared under the covers, trembling. He gathered the covers around himself like a shield and listened fearfully.

"Oh, how sweet," a familiar voice said with an audible sneer in its tone. "The mighty Pharaoh, ruler of Upper Egypt, asleep in his bed, with no idea his worst enemy is about to escape unscathed with some of his pretty trinkets." There was a snort. "Foolish Pharaoh; did he really think those useless passels of guards would stop me?"

Yugi's head came up over the covers. He was still scared, but was brave enough to call out softly. "Bakura?"

Bakura whirled from his position beside Atemu's bed, a deadly-looking dagger being brandished in one hand and a brown sack filled with something clenched in the other. The sight of the weapon made Yugi shrink back on his bed. Bakura glared around, dagger up and poised to attack, until his eyes fell on Yugi cowering under his covers. Bakura's eyebrows raised, the fierce look disappeared, and the ominous dagger dropped to his side.

"Well, if it isn't Little Yugi," Bakura said, walking over to Yugi's bed. "You have to sleep in the same room with the Pharaoh? No wonder you looked so unhappy."

"What are you doing here?" Yugi asked. "If Atemu finds you here, he'll have you killed."

"Oh, he isn't going to find me here," Bakura said with a smirk. He held up the sack. "And all I'm doing is my business." There was something rectangle-shaped in the sack, along with the other stuff, and its pointy corners were visible through the sack's rough fabric.

Yugi looked at the sack. "How did you get in here without anyone noticing?" he asked. Then a horrible thought crossed his mind. "Did you _kill_ someone?"

"Nope," Bakura said with a satisfied smirk. "I haven't had to kill anyone in my last seven heists. I'm going for a record." His smirk disappeared and he looked at Yugi seriously. "So, have you thought about the offer I gave you?" he asked.

Yugi's eyes widened. "You still want me to go with you?" he said incredulously. "Wouldn't I be a burden?"

"Thieves don't have burdens," Bakura replied. "And you don't belong here. Trust me, Yugi, you may think they're your friends, even that Mia person you mentioned, but sooner or later, they'll all betray you. It's inevitable. It's better to get away before they leave you behind."

Yugi felt fear. "Betray me?" he repeated. He looked down at his lap. Would they really? He thought of Atemu, and Miss Ishizu, and Mia. They were all so nice to him. They all said they wanted to help him, and they did. And, especially recently, Atemu was a great means of comfort to Yugi. He liked it when Atemu held him in his arms. It felt like he was safe, and nothing could hurt him again. But would they all turn their backs on him?

"I don't want to lose my friends," Yugi said in a voice barely above a whisper. He was just starting to get used to being able to trust people. Would they end up betraying his trust, like he stillunfortunatelyfeared? He didn't want that to happen.

Yugi slowly shook his head. "I don't want to lose them," he said. "I-I can't go. Maybe I can do something to...to keep them from leaving me."

"You like trusting," Bakura stated. He shook his head, genuinely sorry for Yugi. "That's too bad. It'll only make things worse when they abandon you, believe me. But it seems as though you'll have to figure that out for yourself." He glanced over at Atemu's sleeping form. "It looks like it's time for me to go," he said. "But one thing." He turned back to Yugi.

Yugi looked up. "What?"

"When I get out the window, wake Atemu up and tell him I was here," Bakura said, his smirk reappearing. "That will make it even sweeter when I _still_ escape."

"Okay," Yugi said. He watched Bakura walk to the window and climb out. Then he slipped out of bed and walked across the floor to Atemu's bed. This time he didn't hesitate at all but reached out with both hands and shook the pharaoh's shoulder.

"Atemu. Wake up," Yugi whispered. Atemu groaned and rolled over. "A-_tem_-u," Yugi said, shaking him harder.

Atemu groaned again, rubbing his eyes. "Seto, I'm going to murder you," he grumbled.

"I'm not Seto!" Yugi said. "Bakura just left, Atemu! Wake up!"

Atemu sat bolt upright. "He _WHAT_!"

END CHAPTER

* * *

Toli: Cliffie?

Mena: Sorta!

Jesselda: Why?

Mena: (shrugs)

Toli: Well, I guess it's time to mosey on out.

Mena: Not before the previews! Next time...suspense! Hahahahahahahaha! What a terrible preview! But anything else would spoil too much!

Toli: So all we can say, is come back next time, and you won't regret it!

Jesselda: You won't, and they won't, but I will.


	10. A Desperate Search

**RESPONSES

* * *

**

**Masami Mistress Of Fire**  
Toli: Where's that long review we were expecting?

Mena: Is Masami-kun sick? (hugs Masami) FEEL BETTER!

Toli: (sweatdrops)

* * *

**kristen89**  
Mena: Hey! (waves happily)

Toli: Setia creeps you out? Awesome! That was kinda the aim, you see.

Mena: I wrote the part with Jou and Mia. Hehehehe, I see you're ready for the Atemu vs. Anzu fight! Well, that's this chappie! (stops to catch marshmallows in her mouth)

Toli: (watches grenades fly at Anzu) Hmm, I don't really care... (lets grenades hit Anzu) Woo! Explosion!

* * *

**Mirrored-Insanity **  
Mena: Sugary dessert! YEYEAH! (takes a big bite out of sugar cookie)

Toli: (sweatdrops) Uh, Mena?

Mena: (chomping on cookie like Pac-Man)

Toli: O-kay...Anyway, I used to pronounce Atemu like 'uh-te-moo' or, at a stretch, 'uh-tee-moo'. But 'eye-tem-uh'? If that isn't weird, I don't know what is.

Mena: Yeah, that sounds real kooky! Speaking of cookie... (goes back to chompig on cookie)

Toli: (big sweatdrop)

* * *

**Linkin-Phoenix**

Mena: Hi, guys!

Toli: Um, why don't we take a rain check on that 'Atemu murdering Seto' thing?

Jesselda: Why? If he's got it coming to him...

Toli: Uh, Jez, no.

Jesselda: (rolls eyes)

Mena: I'm really starting to hate Quick Edit. It seems more like 'Quick Ruin' to me. There's so much stuff you have to go back and make sure it didn't botch up.

Toli: Yeah, but we'll get over it.

Mena: Phoenix really wants to kill Bakura, doesn't he?

Toli: Who wouldn't? Bakura's evil!

Mena: Yeah, good points.

Jesselda: I know what Shadow Phoenix was about to say.

Toli: So do I, but you'd better not repeat it!

Jesselda: You can't tell me what to do. I'm not YOUR yami.

Toli: Just shut up, you're making me angry.

Mena: (sweatdrops)

Toli: Funny how Mia's giving Jou love advice, and she thinks it's Tea, but it's really her.

Mena: Glad you guys like our stories. We hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Toli: See ya around, and don't kill each other, okay?

Mena: They wouldn't have that problem if Shadow Phoenix wasn't so provocative.

Toli: Or something.

* * *

**Millenniumgrl126 **  
Mena: Hey! Glad you liked it!

Toli: Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoy!

* * *

Mena: We're back!

Jesselda: (waves spinner and dumps bowl of confetti on Toli) Alert the President.

Toli: (chokes on confetti)

Mena: WDOY!

* * *

TEN: A Desperate Search

The palace was in an uproar the next morning. Most of the uproar was coming from three people. The Pharaoh, the High Priest, and the princess (who had no right to be uproaring).

Several servants, including Tea and Mia, were assigned to do inventory on what Bakura had stolen. Atemu and Seto went into a council meeting to discuss hiring more guards, and it turned into a shouting match. Marik and Malik got into a three-hour fight with each other about how the guards had been set up. Atemu and Seto got into a fight concerning similar issues. Guards were called in separately by the Pharaoh, the High Priest, the captain of the guard and his brother, and several different council members to explain just how Bakura had gotten past them. Princess Anzu went to complain several times to Atemu about her life and valuable possessions having been in danger last night, and he "didn't tell me a damn thing about it, dammit!"

In the midst of it, Yugi was pretty much forgotten. He was scared to venture out into the madness that projected beyond Atemu's bedroom door, so he stayed curled up on his bed, which didn't help him because it allowed him to think on Bakura's words the night before for quite a while. And the longer Yugi thought about it, the more he was afraid that it would come true, and that there would be nothing he could do about it.

_I don't want to lose my friends, _Yugi thought, leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. _I've just gotten used to this comfort and security, and now I have to worry about when it will be taken away. _A single tear made its way down his cheek. _I should have known better than to trust anybody. _Another tear fell. _Now they're all going to hurt me, but it wouldn't be nearly as painful if I hadn't let them get so close. _He sat up straighter when he heard voices approaching Atemu's door. One was Atemu. The other was the princess.

**

* * *

**

"You could have at least told me he was coming!" Anzu said angrily. "For all we know, some of my things might have been stolen, while I didn't even know they were in danger!"

"How would he know you would be here?" Atemu demanded. "You're in a whole different part of the palace from me. He came personally to steal my things; how would he even know you were here?"

"He's a thief!" Anzu argued. "He probably skulked around the whole palace! And, while we're on the subject, I might add that I don't believe he got past that plethora of guards you had camped outside the palace. You put us all in jeopardy!"

"It's not your place to question my methods in _my palace_!" Atemu yelled at her. "If you have such a problem with it, feel free to pack up and leave at _any time_."

"I'm your guest and I deserve to have a guarantee I can stay for the predetermined amount of time!" Anzu persisted.

"If I feel like having you around!" Atemu shot back. "And frankly, I don't! Be glad you aren't in prison for talking to me like this!"

Anzu stopped, a hand on her throat, exaggerated shock on her face.

"Now, why don't you go put some makeup on or something," Atemu snarled. "I have important matters to attend to, and winning an argument with you isn't one of them!"

Princess Anzu, with that shocked look still plastered on her face, turned and daintily scurried away, holding up her skirts with the hand that wasn't glued to her neck. Atemu glared at her backside before turning and opening the door to his bedroom.

Yugi was sitting on his bed, knees drawn up to his chest. His hands were in his lap, and he was looking down.

"Yugi," Atemu said from across the room. Yugi looked up. "We need to talk."

Fear immediately crossed Yugi's face, but he obediently climbed off his bed and walked over to Atemu. He had his head down, not meeting Atemu's eyes. Atemu gently took his wrist and led him over to his excessively large bed. They sat down.

"When did you see Bakura?" Atemu asked Yugi.

Yugi trembled a little but stopped. "Well-I...he-he talked to me," he admitted quietly.

"_Talked _to you! About what?" Atemu demanded, not realizing his voice was rising.

"About...leaving the palace with...him," Yugi answered, still not looking up. He was petrified at the moment, realizing Atemu was angry and upset and wasn't going to be as patient with him as he normally was.

"That lowdown thief," Atemu snarled. "Who the hell does he think he is? Waltzing in here and just taking whatever he feels like, and offering to spirit people away. I want him _dead_."

Yugi shivered at Atemu's tone. He sounded so scary.

There was a knock at the door. "Enter!" Atemu yelled. A servant came in and bowed. "Your Highness, I regret to inform you, but Miss Ishizu has recently left the palace."

"_WHAT_!" Atemu roared, jumping to his feet. Yugi flinched. "_WHY DID SHE DO THAT_?"

The servant cringed. "She said it was important, and that she would explain when she got back."

"_I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WOMAN_!" Atemu shouted, scaring the servant to his knees. "On this day, _OF ALL DAYS_! She has taken too much advantage of her position! When she gets back she is going to _PRISON_, _do you understand me_?"

"Y-Yes, Your Highness," the servant trembled.

"_OUT OF MY SIGHT_!"

The servant was only too happy to oblige and scrambled out of there, still trying to get up off his knees.

Atemu started to pace. Yugi watched him fearfully. Atemu went to the window and leaned out of it slightly. He turned around, glaring at the wall. Only a miracle kept that poor wall from melting. Suddenly he whirled and slammed his fist on the windowsill, letting out a roar of frustration. "I hate all you people," he seethed. "All you pathetic people. Always trying to take advantage of some special position. You're nothing but my slaves and I loathe you all. You worthless, stupid slaves."

Yugi's eyes widened as he stared at Atemu's backside. He felt tears coming, along with a horrible sense of dread. He got off of Atemu's bed and went to the door as quietly as he could. He slipped through it.

And then he ran.

**

* * *

**

Yugi stopped in his tracks when he heard voices. He retreated quickly into a shadowed corner and waited for them to pass by.

"...but honestly, he's really cute!" he heard Tea say.

"Sure, he's cute, but cute isn't everything," Mia's voice replied.

_Mia, _Yugi thought. He felt relief. He could trust Mia. She would help him. He was about to take a step out of the corner, but something stopped him. Perhaps if he hadn't hesitated, things would have ended up differently.

But alas, he hesitated.

"I know, but just look at him. He adores you," Tea was saying. "He's like your little charge!"

_They must be talking about me, _Yugi thought.

"Oh, come on, Tea," Mia scoffed. "He's incredibly annoying. I don't need him, and I certainly don't want him. I wish I'd never met him!"

"Well, that's harsh," Tea said, but Yugi barely heard her. The sense of dread returned with a vengeance. _She doesn't like me? She thinks I'm...annoying? Why? Why? _Tears started running down his face. _Why does she hate me? Why does Atemu hate me? Why did Miss Ishizu leave me? What did I do wrong? _He turned and blindly ran away.

Behind him, the girls continued their conversation. "Yeah, well, I think _he's_ harsh," Mia replied to Tea's remark.

"He's a ladies' man," Tea said with a shrug.

"And that's exactly why I don't like him," Mia answered. "No offense or anything, but Hiroto is definitely not the one for me."

**

* * *

**

Atemu stayed at the window for about an hour, taking deep breaths and attempting not to just say "To hell with it," and blast every person he knew to the Shadow Realm. His fist was still clenched and resting on the windowsill, starting to sting from when he used it to attack the windowsill. His eyes were closed, and he was grateful for the silence.

It was keeping him sane.

Finally Atemu opened his eyes and looked outside. The sun was high in the sky, signaling the fact that it was in the middle of the afternoon. It was a lot hotter today than it had been the last few days. Atemu turned, thinking that Yugi was being awfully quiet. He was surprised when he saw that Yugi was no longer sitting on the bed.

Atemu looked around. "Yugi?" he called.

He didn't get an answer. He looked around some more, and poked into the adjacent rooms. Yugi was nowhere in sight.

_Where is he? _Atemu wondered. Then he considered. Maybe he scared the poor boy out of the room with his yelling. He became worried. _I hope he's okay. _He left his room in search of Yugi.

**

* * *

**

"...Yeah, I guess he's okay," Tea said. "But honestly, Marik's too immature. Hey, what do you think about Jou?"

Mia thought about Jou and his confession to her that he was in love. "I think he's a decent guy," she said.

"He's really nice," Tea said cheerfully, shifting the pile of books in her arms. "And cute. And he's just clumsy enough to be funny. He tells jokes, too, and funny stories."

"I hear he's got his eye on someone," Mia said.

"Really?" Tea asked. "I wonder who the lucky girl is?" She got this dreamy look in her eye. "Wish it was me."

"Mia."

Mia stopped and turned, hearing her name being called. She saw the Pharaoh behind them, and he looked upset. "Is something wrong, Your Highness?" she asked.

"Have you seen Yugi today?" the Pharaoh asked.

"No." Mia shook her head. "I've been taking inventory all day. Why?"

"I can't find him."

"What?" The color drained out of Mia's face. She nearly dropped her load. "Can't find him? What do you mean? Where did he go?"

The pharaoh looked even more upset. "I don't know. But I've been thinking while I looked for him, and I think something I said scared him off."

"Scared him off?" Mia started to panic. "But if you scared him, he would come to me, or Miss Ishizu."

"Ishizu abruptly left this morning," the Pharaoh told her.

"Then why didn't he come looking for me?" Mia cried, her voice rising.

With a sigh, the Pharaoh shook his head. "I don't know, but I have to find him, and I need your help."

Mia nodded, swallowing hard. Where could Yugi be? Why wasn't he at her side, seeking comfort? "Tea, can you take this stuff back to the room we got it from?" she asked Tea.

Tea nodded. "Sure. Okay." She took Mia's pile of books and added them to her own. Mia and Atemu went off in search of Yugi.

**

* * *

**

By that evening, Atemu had half the servants looking inside the palace for Yugi, and several guards searching the grounds around the palace. He sent three groups of guards to search the nearest cities.

Mia was practically in tears. She had looked in every place she thought, hoped, believed, and dreamed he would be, and he wasn't there. She had to sit down at one time to collect her wits before she burst into hysterics and became useless to the search party.

Sitting on a bench in the hall, she put her face in her hands and tried to control her tears. "Oh, Yugi...why didn't you come to me?" She was so afraid something bad had happened to him.

"Mia, are you okay?"

Mia looked up to see Jou standing beside the bench, watching her with a worried expression. "I'm all right, I guess," she said, "but I'm just so worried about Yugi. This isn't like him. If the Pharaoh scared him, and Miss Ishizu was gone, he would come to me. It wouldn't take him this long to find me, I know, because it isn't like I'm hiding or anything. But he's not here. Where could he be?"

Jou had sat down while Mia spoke, and now he looked down at his hands and sighed. "I don't know, Mia, but worryin' about him won't bring him back. I know you're afraid for his sake, but the best thing to do is to put that fear to good use and have it motivate you to find him."

"I know I should," Mia said, rubbing an eye, "I just need to get myself together."

"Don't worry, Mia," Jou said, patting Mia's shoulder, "we'll find him. It's gonna be okay."

Mia smiled gratefully at Jou. "You're right." She stood up. "We don't have any time to lose."

**

* * *

**

Yugi didn't stop running until he realized he was lost.

He looked around. In every direction, all he saw was sand, hills, sun, and sky. His tears had long been dried up by the heat, but the pain and grief was heavy in his heart. He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes and looked behind him. His trail of footprints was clear behind him. He could go back. He frowned. No. He couldn't go back. They wouldn't want him. He could only go forward.

Turning around, Yugi looked ahead. A sea of sand stretched in front of him. He didn't know where forward would lead, but it was better than backwards. He had no choice. He started to walk again.

**

* * *

**

Atemu had his face in his hands. Seto was standing beside him. Elsewhere in the palace, Anzu was still complaining about her lack of knowledge.

The door to the council room opened, and Mako, one of the guards, came in and bowed. "My Pharaoh," he said, "my group's search of the westernmost city has been a failure. We were unable to locate your servant or acquire any information of his whereabouts."

Atemu didn't answer. After a few seconds, Seto spoke. "Fine then," he said. "Take your group and begin searching the eastern grounds of the palace."

Mako nodded and left.

Seto turned back to Atemu. "You can't let this take up all of your time, you know," he said. "You still have a kingdom to run."

"I know that," Atemu said irritably from behind his hands. "But right now I'm more concerned with finding Yugi than anything else."

Seto opened his mouth and was about to reply when the doors opened again.

"M-My Pharaoh!" Shizuka said from the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but-I saw a set of footprints leading out into the desert!"

Atemu's head snapped up. "Footprints?" he exclaimed. "Where?"

"Leading from one of the eastern exits to the palace," Shizuka answered. She looked terrified, but still spoke bravely. "A wind is coming, though, and the footprints were already partially eradicated when I noticed them. They might be gone soon."

"Then I have no time to waste," Atemu said, standing up. "Send word to the stables that I need my fastest horse ready for me."

"Yes, My Pharaoh," Shizuka said. She bowed and took off like a shot out the door.

Atemu turned to Seto. "I'm trusting you to take care of everything while I'm gone," he said.

"Of course I will," Seto replied. "You better be careful, though. The way it sounds, there could be a sandstorm, and you don't want to get caught in that."

Atemu nodded in response and raced out the door. Seto watched him go, shaking his head slightly.

**

* * *

**

Yugi squinted and shielded his face with an arm as the wind blew grains of sand at him. He didn't know how far away from the palace he was or where he was heading, or even how long he had been walking and running. He just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

_Sooner or later I'll have to find someplace where I can get something to eat, or at least some water, _Yugi thought. _But for now, all I have to concentrate on is distance. _He flinched and blinked rapidly when he felt something sting his right eye. The sandstorm seemed to be picking up. Yugi needed cover, and soon. He looked around for something to hide behind.

Looking to his left, he saw a large piece of broken wood sticking up out of the sand. Sand was already starting to pile up on one side. With relief, Yugi made his way over to the wood and sat behind it. It was tall enough and wide enough to block most of the sand being blown around. Yugi curled up into a ball and prepared to wait out the storm.

**

* * *

**

Atemu and the group of guards with him made it two and a half miles before Yugi's trail had completely disappeared. Even worse, near the last signs of it the footprints had looked like they turned to the left. And even worse than that, the sandstorm was picking up. Atemu was forced to turn around, but he really didn't want to. He vowed to start up the search again the minute the storm died down.

**

* * *

**

Yugi weaved his way quickly through the crowd, holding the hood firmly over his head. Behind him, he heard the shouts of the overseer trying to catch him. 'I have to lose him soon,' Yugi thought, his fear serving as adrenaline to make him run faster.

Behind him, Yugi heard a crash as the burly overseer ran into someone who happened to be carrying a crate of produce. There were some shouts and yells and gasps, but Yugi ignored all as he continued to run. Despite his adrenaline, he needed to stop and rest. He ducked and dodged his way around and under people, hoping to lose the overseer, and finally came to a stop in an alleyway leading off of the crowded street. He rested against the wall and began to catch his breath. His chest heaved with the effort.

'I hope I lost him,' Yugi thought. He hadn't been able to stay with the small group of raiders for more than a week before he made an escape attempt in the marketplace. For some reason, Perin seemed to find it amusing to torture Yugi daily, and the poor boy was sick of it. He didn't know where he would go, but he couldn't stay with them. It was too terrible.

"Aha!"

Yugi felt large hands grab the front of his shirt and hoist him into the air. He looked up fearfully to see the overseer that had been chasing him, a satisfied sneer on his face. He had little purple spots on his face from the grapes that had attacked him when he bowled over the man with the produce. "Thought you could get away, did you, you sneaky little brat! When we get back, I'll make sure you get a double whipping!"

"No! Leave me alone!" Yugi yelled, trying to pry the man's hands off of his shirt.

The man laughed. "There's no escape now," he said. "You didn't think Perin would let you get away so easily, did you?"

Someone tapped the man's shoulder from behind. He looked over his shoulder, irritated. "What? Can't you see I'm bus-"

Whoever was behind him brought an empty crate down on his head, knocking him sideways. His grip on Yugi's shirt fell away, and Yugi slid to the ground. He stood up and stepped away from the man as he got up.

The man rubbed his head and whirled to glare at his attacker. A tall, slender girl with long blond hair in a loose ponytail and cynical violet eyes stared evenly back at him. By her attire, it was obvious she was also a servant. "How dare you do that to me!" the overseer yelled at her. "You'll pay for that!" He reached for her with his massive hands.

In a flash, the girl sidestepped his menacing hands, and her sandaled foot shot out and kicked him in the stomach. She knocked him down with a painful-sounding "Oof!" Then she picked up a large piece of the broken crate, and when he went to get up, she bashed him over the head with it. This time she struck the right place, and he slumped back down, unconscious.

Yugi stared at the overseer, then up at the girl. "Wow," was all he could manage. "You sure are strong!"

The girl smiled and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I figured you were a fellow runaway and decided to give you a hand," she said.

"I am," Yugi said, nodding. "Thanks for saving me."

"No problem, kiddo. By the way, name's Mia. Yours?"

"Yugi."

"Nice to meet you, Yugi," Mia said. "Now come on. Let's get outta here before this guy comes to." She extended a hand.

Yugi looked down at it, and then up at her. He took the offered hand, and she led him back out into the street, where they soon disappeared from sight in the crowd.

Yugi heard the sound of a fire crackling and furrowed his eyebrows. What had happened? He cracked open his eyes and saw that night had fallen. He was lying on his side, facing a fire that someone had built nearby. And not a moment too soon, it seemed; the night was getting colder by the second. Yugi wondered vaguely why he wasn't cold and realized that he was covered by a blanket.

Curious, and also just a little wary, Yugi propped himself up on his elbows. His head hurt. He looked back towards the fire and saw a figure crouched by the fire, fiddling with something. He heard a snap and a curse. He sat up slowly, feeling the stiffness in his limbs and keeping the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Hearing his movement, the figure near the fire turned. Yugi saw the light of the fire reflected in his brown eyes.

"Welcome back to the world of the conscious," the figure said. "I found you out cold in the middle of the desert, behind a piece of wood. Don't tell me that was your only protection from the sandstorm."

Yugi nodded, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs, even under the covers. "When did you find me?" he asked.

The notorious thief Bakura stood up, stretching. "Several hours ago," he answered. "It looked as though the heat had gotten to you." He had a frown on his face. "Did you run away from the palace?"

Yugi nodded, looking down. "You were right," he admitted. "About them betraying me. They hate me."

"I told you," Bakura said, walking over to Yugi and plopping down next to him. "Why was it so hard for you to believe me?"

"I guess I didn't want to," Yugi said in a faint voice. "I was just hoping I could to something to prevent it from happening."

Bakura grunted. "Some things are inevitable," he said. "Where did you think you were going to go, anyway?"

Yugi shrugged his shoulders underneath the blanket. "I don't know," he said. "I just wanted to get away."

"Well, you most certainly did that," Bakura said. "You're six miles away from the Pharaoh's palace, did you know?"

"No, I didn't," Yugi said. He looked down. "Bakura, do you think...I could...maybe...come with you?" He looked up hopefully.

Bakura smirked. "I was wondering when you were going to ask, runt," he said, ruffling Yugi's hair.

END CHAPTER

* * *

Mena: Yugi's going with Bakura! DUNDUNDUN!

Jesselda: (plays tape of flashing lightning) Let the evil begin.

Toli: (coughs up confetti) You gonna do a preview, sister?

Mena: Yes! Yes I am! Coming up, the main plot thickens (like chunky soup, yummm!) and a lot of people talk about trust! We'll see you then!


End file.
